Burning Up
by panda1499
Summary: After difficult pasts, can firefighter Edward and nurse Bella find love with each other. Or will their past come back to bite them. AU/AH. Warning mature themes including assault/rape. future lemons.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N...Welcome all to Burning Up. I'm not sure how fast my updates will be for awhile, so be patient with me please. For those that read my other story, this is going to be VERY different. As I've said already this is an AU/AH story. There will be mature themes dealt with, including abuse and rape. This is your warning. If you are offended by reading these things stop now and go choose another story. This story is autobiographical in some ways (including the abuse and rape), so please believe me when I say that I DO NOT take these themes lightly. This story has been very cathartic for me. The more I write and see my story in black and white, the more I feel healed. There will be future lemons. **

**Thank you to Wndrngy for betaing.**

**Without further ado...**

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Prologue- Hurt

_I hurt myself today  
To see if I still feel  
I focus on the pain  
The only thing that's real  
The needle tears a hole  
The old familiar sting  
Try to kill it all away  
But I remember everything_

_~Hurt by Nine Inch Nails_

I had just received the call I hoped I would never get. The call that the love of my life, my everything, was being rushed to the hospital. This was why I had been so reluctant for us to start dating. Our life together flashed before me, even those parts we hadn't experienced yet, like children. I prayed that we would still get the chance to live out those parts together. Because I was positive of one thing, if my angel was taken away from me, my life would cease to have meaning. I don't remember the drive to the hospital, but knew I was breaking every speed limit on the way there. I rushed into the trauma center to be told I'd have to take a seat in the waiting room. Half of the ER staff was working to save my love. The nurse promised to have an attending come talk to me when they got a chance. I couldn't help but let my mind wander to how it all began while I waited to find out if my other half was going to live or die.

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Chapter 1- Another one bites the Dust

_Another one bites the dust  
Another one bites the dust  
And another one gone, and another one gone  
Another one bites the dust  
Hey, I'm gonna get you too  
Another one bites the dust_

_~Another One Bites the Dust By Queen_

BPOV

_February 2005_

It was my junior year of college. I was at the University of Washington studying to be a nurse. I walked up the small flight of stairs that led to our small on-campus apartment. I wasn't surprised to walk through the door and see my roommate and best friend, Alice Cullen, sitting in the middle of our living room floor surround by fabric and homemade patterns. Alice was a fashion design and fashion merchandising major. We had met the previous year at our off-campus job. We became fast friends and when we learned we both went to U-Dub, we immediately made arrangements to live together. We complemented each other perfectly; her energetic pixie-like personality and features and my down-to-earth shy nature with boringly plain features.

"So, how'd it go? Sorry I wasn't here when he came to pick you up, umm, Jasper kinda distracted me." Distraction was code for 'we were humping like rabbits'. Jasper Hale was Alice's boyfriend, and my brother Emmett's roommate and co-worker.

I met Jasper last year when Jasper and Emmett started working together. Shortly thereafter, Jasper introduced his sister, Rosalie, to Emmett. Then I introduced Jasper to Alice. Now Rosalie and Em were getting married next year, and Alice and Jasper had been dating blissfully for the past year. In our tiny group, I was the odd woman out. For that reason they were all determined to find me a man.

Tonight, Alice was interrogating me about my most recent set-up date with the friend of a friend.

"This was the cute blond with piercing gray eyes right?" Alice asked. The guy didn't go to U-Dub, but was friends with one of our neighbors. Tyler had IM'd me a picture of him from the previous summer and I had found him very good looking. I flopped on the couch and pulled my legs up to my chest to avoid getting anything on Alice's fabric.

"It was absolutely horrible. I mean, he took me to this amazing three star restaurant; the food was great . We kept up polite conversation throughout dinner, but it just doesn't seem like we have much in common. Oh and he showed up in his Marine dress uniform to take me out."

"Wait, the white pants, dark blue jacket, red belt Marine uniform?"

"That'd be the one."

"Bella, who cares if you two have nothing in common, he's a MARINE! Isn't this the third military man that you've dated and found something wrong with? The navy officer was 'too tall', the Army guy was 'too muscular', and now this guy has 'nothing in common with me'. What is your deal?"

What was my deal? I'd been asked that question by friends of mine since I was a senior in High School and the star quarterback that had graduated the year before me and gone into the army asked me out, and I turned him down. That's right. The guy that every single girl had drooled over the previous 4 years asked plain little me out, and I turned him down. It wasn't that I didn't like him, or didn't find him attractive, because I did on both counts. It was another reason all together. Alice poked me in the foot, demanding I answer her question. I just shrugged my shoulders at her. I knew why I was turning military men down, but I didn't really want to let Alice in on it.

"Bells, I know for a fact that you liked this boy. You never seemed to have a problem talking the past two months online. It seemed like you had a lot in common then. What changed? You've been gushing over this date for a week. I find it so hard to believe that your feelings changed so quickly."

"I don't know. I guess we just used up all of our common items already. It seemed like we had nothing to talk about at dinner. Sitting there was cruel and unusual punishment. Sitting through a dinner like that would make any suspect confess."

"Bullshit, Bella. I can tell when you're lying. You're horrible at it. You did something to ruin this date, my question is why?" I debated for another few seconds while Ali glared at me.

"Ok, fine. I've found something wrong with, or 'sabotaged' every date with a military man. Although, to be fair, I would have done the same thing if the guys were cops or firefighters." She looked at me a bit incredulously.

I sighed before continuing, "Ok, so if you notice what I just said, every single one of the professions I just listed risk their lives in one way or another." Ali nodded her head. "I have a phobia when it comes to dating those in public service; those men that risk their lives on a daily basis to keep us safe. I know it's because of watching what my mom went through when that deputy showed up at our door and told her Dad had been shot and killed at the bank. He had stopped in to cash his paycheck on his way home after his shift. Unfortunately he walked in during an armed robbery. The robber saw Dad walk in and wasted no time before shooting him in the chest, he died in transit to the hospital." When I looked up at Alice she had silent tears running down her face. Even though we had been friends for almost a year and a half, and she knew that my father was dead, I had never told her how he died.

"Alice, I'm too afraid to fall in love with someone that could be taken away from me even if they don't want to be. I still hate that Emmett became a firefighter, it scares me so much that I've asked him not to tell me his schedule ever." Even though it had been 6 years, I cried every time I thought about Charlie.

"Bella. I know that having something like that happen to you would make you scared to risk it. But what happens if one of these guys you've turned away is who you're meant to be with? Are you saying you'd rather be alone than be with the love of your life because his job forces him to risk his life?" I knew she was right, but it didn't change anything. "Just make a promise to me Bells." I nodded. "If you ever just feel connected to someone, like they could be the one, you won't just run away if he is a public servant." She held out her pinky for me. I grasped her pinky finger with my own.

"I promise."

"Good. Now let me get this stuff put away and we'll run and get some ice cream, pop in Dirty Dancing, and dream about our own Johnny coming to save us from the dreaded corner." I giggled and went into my room to change while Alice cleaned up.

After Alice and I watched Dirty Dancing, we decided to also watch Pretty Woman. I went to sleep to dreams of my own Johnny Castle and Edward Lewis coming to save me, and loving me always.

My promise to Alice kept playing in my head for the next few weeks. I was out on a Friday night about 3 weeks later with some of the other girls in the Nursing program. We had just had a huge mid-term and our clinicals knowledge assessment so we were out to celebrate surviving. While I was standing at the bar chatting with Angela Weber, the only other person in our class interested in Emergency Medicine, when someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turned around and looked into a pair of gorgeous ice blue eyes.

"Hi. I was wondering if you would like to dance," said Ice Blue Eyes. I noticed he also had long blond hair pulled back in to a low ponytail, and was dressed like the quintessential bad boy; low slung jeans, a black t shirt, and a pair of black Doc Martins.

"Um, I'm not really a great dancer." I heard Ang whisper at me to go for it, so I quickly added, "But I'd love to." I left my drink with Ang and he grabbed my hand and led me to the dance floor. He pulled me close so we could dance to the hip hop that the DJ had pumping out of the speakers.

"Don't worry, I won't let you fall," he whispered into my ear. I felt shivers run down my spine. "What's your name beautiful?"

"Bella. Bella Swan."

"Fitting name. I'm James, James Haley."

"Nice to meet you," I said. He was nothing like the kind of guy I usually dated, but there was one question I had to ask him. "You aren't a soldier or a cop are you?" He chuckled at my question.

"You really are different Bella. But no, I'm not. I just graduated last year from U-Dub with a degree in Digital Media and Art. Currently I'm trying to find a job in my field, but until I can I'm working for my step-father at his Monument Company."

"Ok, good." We danced and talked most of the rest of the night. We exchanged phone numbers before I left with the girls to head back to our apartments. I got a text from James about 10 minutes after I left the club, telling me to have a good night. He called the next night and we set up a date for the following Friday. After that night I didn't worry about my promise to Alice anymore. I had found the man that I was going to marry.

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**A/N so, what do we think so far... **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: WARNING WARNING WARNING This chapter contains VERY adult themes. If assault and/or rape disturb you please hit you back button now. I will reiterate that I in NO way endorse these actions. This story is my way of healing my own heart from the things that are happening in this story. I have lived these events! You have been warned. Proceed at your own risk.**

**Thank you to Paige(wndrngy), my fuck awesome beta. Go check out her stories _Something Stupid _and _Never Sleep in a Strange Man's Bed!!!!!_  
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Chapter 2- Face Down

_Cover up with make up in the mirror  
tell yourself it's never gonna happen again  
you cry alone and then he swears he loves you.  
Do you feel like a man  
when you push her around?  
Do you feel better now as she falls to the ground?  
Well I'll tell you my friend, one day this world's going to end  
as your lies crumble down, a new life she has found_

_~Face Down by Red Jumpsuit Apparatus _

BPOV

April 2008

James and I had been dating three years. I had met his family and they all loved me and I them. We had been living together a year, since I finished all the classes necessary for my nursing degree. We lived in a wonderful two bedroom apartment in the Neptune building, directly below Alice and Jasper.

It was wonderful having my best friend just upstairs, and it didn't hurt that neither of us paid rent. The building was owned by Alice's parents, Carlisle and Esme, and they refused to accept any sort of rent payment from me. The leases were just in Alice and my names, the apartments were given as graduation presents. Jasper's name would be added to the indefinite lease once he and Alice got married in September of '09. Esme told me the same would be done for me and James if we ever got married. I asked her one day why she had set it up that way.

"Did Alice ever tell you I was married before I married Carlisle?" I shook my head no. "Well I was married to a man named Charles Evenson. At first he was wonderful, and we were very much in love. But slowly things changed. He got angry a lot, and soon he started beating me. I took it at first, because he always became so apologetic afterwards. It just kept getting worse though. Finally I decided I threw him out a few times, locking him in the hall without his keys. But, I hadn't even thought to put my name on the lease because, well, I was extremely naïve. He threatened to call the police and say I was trespassing if I didn't let him back in. My naivety made me believe that I was in the wrong and would go to jail, so I always let him back in. When I found out I was pregnant I wanted to leave and never come back, but I had no money, and I knew I couldn't lock him out again without possibly going to jail. So I stayed. He got very upset one night and beat me so bad that our neighbors called 911 and reported the fight. He left before the police got there, but I was taken to the hospital. Carlisle was the resident who treated me in the ER. I lost my baby from that beating, which opened my eyes that Charles was in the wrong. That night he was arrested for assault. I divorced him while he was in jail and married Carlisle a few months later. I don't want you girls to ever have to rely on a man. You are as much a daughter to me as Alice is, dear, and I want you taken care of, just like she is." I had hugged her as tightly as I could after that. I couldn't believe all that had happened. She hugged me back just as tightly before kissing the top of my head.

***

On the day of my and James's third anniversary, I was lucky to get out of work early. I worked at Harborview Medical Center, the only Level 1 center in a four state area. We were always busy, but Angela, one of my co-workers, knew the importance of the day, and she had gotten someone to cover the last few hours of my shift.

James and I had been exclusive since that first date a week after we met at the club. I knew he wouldn't be home yet since he was closing the monument company that day for Joe, his step-father, and the shop didn't close until five. We were going out to dinner, but I hadn't thought I would have this much time to get ready. Our reservations were for 8:00pm, at Crow Restaurant and Bar, and thanks to Angela I now had three hours to get ready instead of 20 minutes.

I showered, did my hair and makeup, and got dressed in an Alice approved outfit; she had actually given it to me the previous week. It was a simple dark purple halter dress that perfectly accented my pale skin. Alice had also sent a black shrug sweater, silver strappy kitten heals, and silver accessories. I looked stunning, if I do say so myself. James walked in the door at about 5:30, surprised to see me home.

"You look amazing Bells," he stated before kissing me. "But what are you doing home already? Your shift doesn't end for another," he looked down at his watch, "hour and a half. You look like you've been home awhile."

"Well, Ang knew what today was and got one of the girls to come in early for her shift tonight to cover for me. It had all been cleared with Nurse Cope, so I was sent home. Do you think the restaurant would move up our reservation?"

"I'll call and ask. It is the middle of the week, so they shouldn't be too busy. I'll see if they have anything open at 6:30." He called and got our dinner moved up, hopped in the shower himself, and dressed in a pair of gray slacks and an embroidered black button down. He had cut his hair last year, so his blond hair was gelled into perfect spikes all over his head.

I found myself watching him get ready. He looked even better than the man I had fallen in love with three years ago. The evening had started so perfectly, and I was hoping tonight would be the night he proposed to me. I had no doubt in my mind that I would say yes when he did.

Dinner was extraordinary, but James drank far more than I liked. He usually only had a drink or two, I'd never seen him this drunk before. The night took a turn for the worse when I was forced to drive us home in his huge truck, which I never felt comfortable driving.

When we got home and upstairs, I went to our room to get changed. I accepted that a proposal probably wasn't going to happen, but Alice had also given me a pretty purple lacy lingerie set to wear to bed tonight, and I put it on just to show James how special I felt today was.

When I walked out of the closet, he was in the middle of our bedroom with no shirt on, staring out the huge window at the downtown skyline. With all the lights on the buildings and the Needle, it was a romantic view. I walked up behind him and snaked my hands around his waist and kissed the middle of his back.

To my shock, he grabbed my wrists, and spun around. His eyes were blazing. I had never seen him like this before. He was holding my wrists so hard that it was starting to hurt. The longer he stood staring at me with what looked like hatred in his eyes, the more afraid I became. Finally he started talking, but his words were slurred from all the alcohol he had consumed. He asked me what the hell I thought I was wearing. He started calling me a harlot and slut; saying that I was only with him for the money he had. He asked if he should just start leaving money on the bedside table for me since I was nothing more than a whore.

I could feel the tears falling down my face. He still hadn't let go of my wrists and I couldn't tell if the tears were from the pain in my wrists, the biting words he was saying, the shock of his sudden attack, or a combination of all three. He told me to stop crying, that I had nothing to cry over. When I couldn't stop he yelled louder and let go of one of my wrists. I was so stunned by what he was saying and how he was acting, I made no move to get away from him.

When I still t couldn't stop crying , James pulled back the arm he had just dropped from my wrist and slapped me hard across my face. My head snapped to the opposite side and the force of the blow knocked me off my feet. I couldn't regain my balance and started falling to the floor. With the wrist he was holding, James yanked me back up, pulling so hard I was surprised my shoulder didn't dislocate.

"I'm not done with you yet, bitch," he snarled as he threw me on the bed.

He ripped his pants off and climbed on top of me, pinning me down. I finally regained some of my senses and began fighting against him as he ripped away the lacy items I was wearing and forced himself on me. I laid there while he grunted above me, my mind refusing to accept what was happening to my body. When his hands went around my throat, I scratched at his arms, trying to get him to release his hold. I started prying at his fingers, but it didn't do anything. I was getting lightheaded and was about to pass out from lack of oxygen when he grunted one last time, released his hold on my neck and collapsed on top of me. He passed out shortly after. I was able to roll him off of me, grab my robe from the back of our closet door, and go to our office/guest room.

I crawled under the covers and curled into a ball and continued to sob. I cried myself to sleep. Perversely, I was more devastated that he hadn't proposed than by the way he had acted. For some reason it wasn't even registering in my brain that the love of my life had just hit me and then raped me.

The next morning I woke early and went back to our bedroom. He was still asleep in the middle of the bed where I had left him the night before. I quickly dressed and went into the bathroom to brush my teeth and hair. I looked in the mirror and there was no evidence of what he had done to me. With no proof, I doubted anyone would believe me. , I could hardly bring myself to believe it, so I didn't tell anyone.

When I walked back into our room, James was sitting up in bed. A look of total defeat and sadness on his face. He apologized for everything. He didn't know what had come over him the previous night, he said. He told me how much he loved me, and asked for my forgiveness. "I promise baby. This will never happen again. 831 always!" 831 was our special way of saying I Love You; eight letters, three words, one meaning. We signed those three numbers on everything. I knew with that he still loved me.

I told him I loved him too, and that I forgave him. I wanted nothing more than to believe it was a horrible, one-time only, alcohol-induced mistake. I wanted my normal life back.

When we had said all there was to say, I told him I was going up to Alice's. "I promised her a shopping trip since I took today off, I'll see you when you get home from work." I gave him a kiss and left the apartment.

Our life did get back to normal for the next three months. I worked a lot of night and double shifts during that time. Whether I was doing it consciously or unconsciously, it accomplished the same thing, James and I saw very little of each other. It was the first week in August when I came home one Saturday morning and finally got to snuggle with him. When he woke up he kissed my forehead and told me how much he had missed me recently. I suggested we call our friends and have them over for a small party. He agreed, and after calling Alice and my brother I went to sleep for a few hours.

When I got up I made some stuff for all of us to snack on and checked the bar we had in the dining room next to the kitchen. We needed a restock on some things, which I found odd. I could have sworn most of these bottles had been full a few weeks ago when I had needed a drink after a rough night at work. I asked James to run and get what we needed while I finished the food. He happily obliged.

Food, drinks, and games. That was what we did with everyone. I had made all different types of little appetizers, but since it was all we were really eating, I was calling them tapas. We were playing Dirty Minds, constantly yelling out what we thought the clues were for. Of course, most of the time we were yelling out the 'dirty' word. Surprisingly, Emmett, the dirtiest minded person I knew, was playing this game the best. He got almost every single set of clues right. The drinks kept being made. I think James was on to his 6th gin and tonic; this was more than he had even at our anniversary dinner, and I was getting anxious. I didn't want a repeat of our anniversary. I had stopped drinking after my third glass of wine, knowing I didn't want a hangover in the morning. At around midnight Alice and Jasper headed up stairs and Rose dragged her husband out the door so they could head home.

James kept drinking while watching TV and I went into the bedroom to change.

"Bella, get your ass out here," I heard from him just as I got my pajamas on. I walked into the living room to see him staring at the beer bottles, glasses, plates and serving dishes that were on the counter and in the sink in the kitchen. "Clean this mess up. This place has looked like a fucking pigsty for the past few months while you worked all those extra shifts. I'm sick of living in the filth."

I just stared open mouthed at him. I had no clue what he was talking about. I would be the first to admit that tonight, the kitchen looked like a disaster area, but I had been cooking all afternoon, and then our friends and family had been here for the past few hours., However, I had been keeping the apartment pretty clean besides tonight, especially considering I didn't have much time to do it. On my days off, or even those times that I was home for only a few hours, I cleaned or did laundry before I chose to sleep.

"Are you deaf whore, or just stupid? I said _clean_ this up!" He screamed pointing at the kitchen.

"James, baby, I'm tired. I'll get this stuff in the morning. r Right now I'm going to bed." I turned and walked towards our room. I got five steps before I felt him grab my shoulders and pull me backwards.

"When I tell you to do something. You fucking do it." He shoved me towards the kitchen door.

My natural temper got the better of me as I walked through the door, out the other side of the kitchen into the dining room, through the living room and towards our room once again. He lunged at me as I went to walk past him, missing his intended target of my waist and catching my heel, causing me to fall flat on my face. I tried to brace myself by putting my arms out to break my fall, but I was falling too fast and landed more on one arm than the other. I felt my wrist bend farther back than it should have been able to and let out a scream of pain.

This just encouraged him. He slapped me in the face and punched me in the ribs while he repeated over and over that I was to listen to him. He finally left me as a sobbing mess on the floor and walked to the door. As he left he mumbled something about going to the bar with Joey, his step-brother. I called Alice with my uninjured hand and asked her to come take me to the hospital, because James had left to go to the bar with Joey. When she got to the apartment she asked what happened.

"You know me, I'm such a klutz. " I left it at that. I didn't want to go into too much detail and have Alice asking any questions. She accepted my quick explaination and drove me to my work.

When I walked in holding my ice pack covered wrist gently Jess Stanley, the receptionist on that night, just shook her head. My clumsiness was legendary here at HVM. It was a common joke that I went into nursing to learn how to treat my own injuries, the other joke was that I worked in the ER because I had spent so much time here they had to offer me a job eventually. She pointed towards the nurses' station instead of forcing me to go sit in the waiting room. I was thankful when I looked towards the place I worked out of when I was here, and saw Ang sitting there. She must have been working on paperwork because her head was down. As she heard someone approach the desk she looked up, shock at seeing me registered across her face, and then she looked at my wrist and started laughing.

"What did you do now?"

"I think I broke my wrist. Who's the attending on tonight? I'd like them to take a look at it for me."

"Well, actually we have someone filling in. Dr Banner got sick and was the only attending on tonight, all the other ER attendings already had plans. So he called one of his friends from surgery. Dr Cullen is the attending on duty tonight." I heard Alice giggle next to me. My mouth fell open.

"Carlisle is the attending here in the ER tonight?" I heard footsteps behind me but didn't turn around.

"Hi daddy," I heard Alice say.

"Hi baby, what are you and Bella doing here? I thought I was told you were off tonight Bells." I turned around then and nodded.

"I am Carlisle, but you know me, I can't get enough of this place." He noticed the ice pack on my wrist then.

"What did you do Bella?"

"I think I broke it. Could you take a look at it for me?" He nodded and ushered me into an empty exam room. He prodded at my wrist for a few minutes, making me wince in pain a few times. He said my self-diagnosis was accurate, but wanted an x-ray to confirm. When the films came back he showed me the breaks. I had broken my wrist in three places. He called in an orthopedist to set it and cast it. He asked what happened and I gave him the same story I had given Alice. He didn't look convinced but didn't press the issue. It was almost four in the morning when I got back to my apartment. Alice hugged me goodbye, told me to be careful, and went up to her own apartment.

I opened the door and walked in. I heard noise coming from the bedroom and assumed James passed out with the TV on. I opened the bedroom door and went inside. I saw clothes lying all over the floor and noticed a bright pink dress that I knew was not mine. That was one color I never let Alice put me in. As the bed came into full view I saw my boyfriend being ridden by some red-head. She was bouncing up and down on him and moaning, her head thrown back in pleasure. He was grunting as he pounded into her again and again.

I screamed. Both of them turned to look at me. The red-headed bitch recovered first and smirked at me. It took me only five seconds before my anger went through the roof.

"GET OUT!" I screamed again. I didn't indicate which one of them I was talking to. I was talking to both of them.

"Victoria, I think it is time for you to go."

I heard her say, "Ok, baby" and kiss him again before grabbing her clothes, throwing the dress over her head and leaving my apartment..

"I want you out of here, NOW. Pack up essential items you will need for the night in your duffel and get out. I'm going up to Alice's, I'll be back in ten minutes and I expect you to be gone," I said. I couldn't believe how calm I was.

"Bella, you can't kick me out. This is my apartment too. If I don't want to leave I don't have to." Then I remembered what Esme had said to me, it all made sense now and my gratitude for her was almost overwhelming.

"No, this is _my_ apartment. The lease with Carlisle and Esme is in my name only. If you are not gone when I get back, I'll be calling the police." As I turned to leave I saw him step closer to me. Just as I was about to step forward I felt my head get yanked backwards as James pulled on the braid that was hanging down my back. "Get. Your. Hands. Off. Me. Or I'll call the police right now and have you arrested for assault." He let go of my hair and I stepped forward. When I got to our key dish next to the door I grabbed his keys and took the one for the apartment off. "Ten minutes," I yelled as I opened the door and walked out into the building's hallway.

I went upstairs and used the spare key I had for Alice's apartment, then relocked the door. She came running out of her bedroom when she heard the door close. I told her everything. I told her what happened just now, what really happened to my wrist earlier, and what happened the night of our anniversary. She congratulated me for kicking him out, but didn't understand why I hadn't spoke up the first time.

"I thought he loved me Alice. I didn't want to lose him. He sounded so sorry the morning after our anniversary, I had to believe that he meant it. I was so afraid no one would believe me either."

"Bella, of course I would have believed you. You are my best friend."

"But there was no proof before Alice; he hits without leaving marks." I lifted my shirt up to show her where he had hit me in the ribs earlier. As I thought, there wasn't a single bruise. "And Alice, I was ashamed. I never thought I would be one of _those women._ I didn't realize until I saw him cheating on me that he didn't really love me, no matter how much I loved him. I was convenient. When I think about it now, I don't think he ever would have married me."

Our talking had woken Jasper up, so when the ten minutes were up, the two of them walked me back downstairs. Jasper, baseball bat in hand, went in and searched the entire apartment. James was gone.

Alice and I got right to work packing up the rest of his stuff. By 10am we had everything of his packed. The boxes were put in the hallway and I sent off a quick text to him telling him he could pick up his stuff at anytime. Alice and I then ran out to buy me a new mattress. There was no way I was sleeping on the current one ever again.

Later that afternoon I was sitting in the living room reading, occasionally looking out the circular wall of windows towards Lake Union, when I heard a pounding on the door. At first I thought maybe it was the delivery men with my new mattress. Just as I was getting up to let them in I heard him.

"Bella! Open the Door!" It was James. "Bella let me in. I want to talk."

I walked up the hallway and sat against the wall four feet from the door. "Fine! Don't let me in. But this isn't the end of us Bella. You are mine and we are meant to be together. I'll show you. You'll be mine or you'll be nobody's."

I heard shuffling and looked out the peep hole to see James loading the boxes onto a cart. He then wheeled the cart to the elevator and left. I sank to the floor at the door and cried quietly. When had my life turned upside down? And would I ever get it right side up again?

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**A/N: So what do we all think? Happy James is gone? Wondering where Edward fits in to this story? All in good time my sweets, all in good time. I'll tell you now, next chapter is all EPOV. Please visit the thread for this story on the Forums. Register and play with us(link to thread is below)!!!**

http://www(dot)twilighted(dot)net/forum/viewtopic(dot)php?f=44&t=6053


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Yes its true...I'm BACK!!!! Ok, so here is the deal. I decided to give FF another chance. I had so many loyal readers over here, and Twilighted is just taking too long for validations. I'll still be posting it over there, but obviously updates will be faster over here! So it is the chapter you all have been waiting for...we get EDWARD!!!

Enjoy all!

Thanks as always to my wonderful beta...PAIGE!!! Love you hunny! Read her stories (Something Stupid and Never Sleep in a Strange Man's Bed)

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CHAPTER 3 Over You

_Now that it's all said and done,  
I can't believe you were the one  
To build me up and tear me down,  
Like an old abandoned house.  
What you said when you left  
Just left me cold and out of breath.  
I fell too far, was in way too deep.  
Guess I let you get the best of me._

_Well, I never saw it coming.  
I should've started running  
A long, long time ago.  
And I never thought I'd doubt you,  
I'm better off without you  
More than you, more than you know._

_~Over You by Daughtry_

EPOV

_November 2008_

The small velvet box in my pocket felt very heavy. I had to find a good hiding spot for it once I got home. I couldn't have Tanya finding it. I still hadn't decided how I was going to actually propose, but I knew I would come up with something. I planned to do it on our six year anniversary next month, which is right before Christmas. We had met in college. When I had graduated from high school I needed to get out of Seattle. Even though I loved Aunt Esme and Uncle Carlisle, it hurt not having my parents around; and everything in Seattle reminded me of them. So when most of my friends were going to University of Washington, I went to Portland State in Oregon. During my sophomore year there one of my friends transferred in. Lauren and I had known each other for a long time, since we were kids. So naturally when she transferred in we started spending a ton of time together. Tanya was her roommate and we hit it off immediately and had been together ever since.

Seattle was still difficult to think about, even though my parents had been dead for almost twelve years now. It was one reason I hadn't gone back once I left for school. Carlisle, Esme, and Alice had come to visit me a few times for holidays, but I hadn't set foot in Seattle for 7 years. When college was over Tanya and I had moved in together. I had finally decided it was time to make it official. I had called Esme to let her know what I was thinking, she was ecstatic for me. When I told Alice she was even more excited than Esme. Although they hadn't gotten to spend a lot of time together over the years Alice really liked Tanya, and she couldn't wait to have her as a sister, since we considered ourselves brother and sister instead of cousins. She gave me suggestions on what type of ring she thought Tanya would like and what jewelry shop I had to use. I had wanted to use my mom's ring, which was a family heirloom and had been on the finger of the women in my family for 3 generations. However, I knew Tanya was not into antique jewelry, she wanted new. So I had bought her a ring.

I got home and hid the ring box in my closet, in a pocket of my dress uniform; she would never look in there. My career was another love of mine, behind Tanya and my family. I was a firefighter for the Portland Fire Department. During college I had started working for the PFD as an EMT, it was the perfect job for a pre-med major. After a year as an EMT, working alongside the firefighters, I decided I wanted more danger in my life. I switched my major from pre-med to a double in criminology and bio. I took the firefighting test 6 months before my graduation, passed with flying colors, and had been working as a firefighter ever since. I still occasionally picked up a shift as an EMT, usually filling in for someone else, to keep my skills up. I had a fifteen hour shift starting in the morning, so I headed to bed. Tanya still wasn't home, but I didn't think much of it, she probably went out with some of her girlfriends.

My shift was rough. The day started almost as soon as I set foot in the station. I had just gotten to my locker when the alarm sounded. Head on Collision with injury. We responded immediately. Both vehicles were leaking gas. We quickly took care of securing the scene to ensure neither vehicle exploded or caught fire. The EMTs quickly got the two injured passengers out and to the hospital for treatment. The tow trucks showed up, removed the vehicles and we were cleared to leave the scene. Before we reached the station we got another call for an alarm at a local bank branch. We showed up to find the employees still inside and no smoke. An employee had been microwaving a Bagelful. It was only supposed to be in the microwave for 40 seconds, she accidently put it in for 4 minutes and forgot about it. We checked the building and the microwave to ensure there was no fire, instructed the employees to prop the door open and place a fan in the lobby pointed to the door, and returned to the station. We spent a few hours breaking down and doing write-ups for the two calls we had attended in the morning. Lunch was made and quickly consumed. That was one thing I learned my first week as a firefighter; eat quick or risk not eating at all. We got our next call at around 2pm.

The alarm went off and we rushed to get into our gear. As we threw on our turnout gear we kept listening to what the call was for. "Reported Multi structure fire with entrapment," came across the loud speaker. When we heard victim entrapment we grabbed the rest of our gear and hopped on the truck, dressing as our driver sped to the scene. The entrapment always got us moving faster, we were out to save people.

We arrived on scene in less than three minutes. A group of row homes was engulfed in a working fire. We unrolled lines and opened up the hydrants. One set of parents was standing out front, frantically watching their house, while neighbors tried to console them. Apparently their son Andrew, who was five, had run back inside for Oscar, his stuffed whale. The parents had tried to stop him but he was too fast and slipped past them. While two teams started to attack the flames on the exterior, one from the front, one from the roof, my team took a hose and headed inside. We were to attack the flames from the inside as well as find the boy. We entered through the front door. Flames were everywhere. While the rest of my team fought the flames I searched for the boy. I yelled his name over and over as loud as I could, since it was muffled by my mask. He wasn't downstairs, so I headed up the stairs, my buddy Eric followed me up. We started a room by room search. Luckily the first room was the boys and we found him huddled in a corner clutching a giant stuffed orca whale. He was crying. I asked if he was ok and he nodded his head. I had Eric take Oscar, since I knew the child wouldn't leave without him, grabbed Andrew myself, put my extra mask on him so he could get fresh oxygen, and ran for the front door. We made it downstairs just as the Captain was calling for us to evacuate the building, the upper floor on the house next door had just gone and he wanted everyone out.

I was the first out the front door, Eric right behind me, and the rest of our crew brought up the rear, keeping the hose aimed on the flames. The parents were so thankful to see Andrew. Once the EMTs had him on a stretcher, administering pure oxygen to him, I took the time to talk to him. I told him to make sure if he was ever in a fire again not to run back in for any reason. He looked down at his lap, he said he was sorry. I ruffled his hair and told him he did do good by staying close to the floor, and he lifted his head with a small smile, telling me he had learned that in school. I smiled and went back to my job of trying to contain the fire. It had gone to 3 alarms now, bringing in other local companies for manpower as well as hose lines.

The scene was finally contained 6 hours after the original call. One of the last companies called up stayed for any possible rekindle. The Captain released my truck back to the station, and told me to fill out my report about the rescue and head home. Child entrapment was always hard on everyone involved, but he knew it was especially difficult for the member that found the child and brought them out. Luckily this time the kid was basically ok; mild smoke inhalation, nothing serious. I quickly filed my report and was out of the station by 9pm a good three hours before the end of my shift. I was back at Tanya and my apartment by 9:30.

I unlocked the door and walked in. I noticed Tanya's purse on our entryway table. Good, I could really use some comfort right now. I heard some noise coming from the bedroom and figured she was in there watching TV or a movie. As I got closer I heard moaning and grunts, I didn't know she had any videos like that. I was getting hard just thinking about what she was doing to herself behind the door in front of me. As I opened the door I heard my girlfriend scream out in pure pleasure, but what I heard confused me. Did she just say Laurant? Why was she screaming out another man's name even if she was pleasuring herself? I opened the door the rest of the way to find the woman I loved in our bed, with another man.

"What the FUCK is this?" I screamed. Laurant stopped his movements immediately and turned to look at me. Tanya's face was one of pure shock.

"Wh-What are you doing home already? I thought your shift didn't end until midnight."

"It doesn't." I said rather coldly. Laurant had the decency to grab his clothes and sneak out of the room. I saw him motion to Tanya with the call me sign. The nerve of that guy. I raised my eyebrows at her and after he left, I wanted to know what the _hell _was going on.

"Um, well his name is Laurant Grenier. I met him at the bar last night. We just have this…connection. Um, as much as I love you, and always will, Eddie," I cringed, I hated being called Eddie, "I've never felt for you what I feel with Laurant. I was going to talk to you tomorrow. I think it's time we ended things. Its felt like we've been drifting apart the past few months."

"What? We have not. Tanya, I was getting ready to propose next month. I already have the ring. It's hidden in my closet right now." Her mouth dropped open forming a perfect 'O'.

"Edward, I'm sorry. I'm just not in love with you anymore. Please forgive me. You can stay in the spare bedroom for the next few days until you can make other arrangements and pack up your stuff, but I think it best if you move out and we go our separate ways. I, um, already contacted the leasing company, and since I was the first listed on the lease, I was able to have them run a verification that I could afford the payments on my own. Your name will officially be off the lease tomorrow afternoon." I was stunned. She walked over to me, now clothed in her satin robe. She reached to pull me into a hug, I shrugged her hands off me. "I'm really sorry, Edward." I turned and left the room. I went to the hall closet and grabbed a towel. I retreated to the guest bathroom. I showered, spending a long time under the relaxing hot spray. I let everything drift away. I wrapped the towel around me and went back to our old bedroom. I needed some of my clothes so I wouldn't need to go back in here again while she was here.

I didn't see Tanya in the room at all, and figured she was out in the living room or kitchen. That is until I turned the corner and saw her in my closet, creating a mess. My stuff was everywhere, thrown all over the small room and spilling forth from the doorway.

"What do you think you are doing?" I heard her gasp and turn to look at me.

"I…uh…" When she couldn't answer me I knew exactly what she had been doing.

"You were looking for the ring, weren't you?" She nodded. I just glared at her. "So, what, you wanted to steal it? You're kicking me out, and you want to take what I was going to give you in love?"

"No, Edward, you've got it all wrong. I just wanted to see it." I walked around the piles on the floor. Went to my dress uniform and pulled the box out of the pocket I had put it in. I opened it and showed her the ring. Her hand flew to her mouth and I heard her sharp intake of air. "It's beautiful Edward. Can I-Can I try it on? Since it was meant for me."

"No." I snapped the lid shut quickly. " I'm going to take the next two days off, get everything packed up, I want to be out of here as soon as I can. Please, make yourself scarce the next few days, I really don't want to have to see you. Now, I'd appreciate if you would put everything back the way it was in here." I grabbed a pair of pajama pants, and went to the guest room. I crawled into bed but sleep took a long time to come, even with the long day I'd had. I just couldn't shut my brain down.

I finally fell asleep around 4 in the morning, but I was up again at 7, when I heard Tanya stomping around getting ready for work. I waited until I heard the front door open and close, signaling she had left, to get out of bed. I called the station and told the captain I needed to take two personal days, but I'd be willing to switch shifts with anyone and pick up extras too. He asked what was wrong and I told him I'd come talk to him when I got a chance. I dressed quickly and ran to the local office supply store to grab some moving boxes. I spent the next few hours packing up my stuff. I went through all the DVD's and CD's we had, taking anything that I had when we started dating, anything I bought that wasn't a gift to her, and anything else I wanted. I took the pots and pans since they were mine, as well as anything else in the kitchen that was mine. I packed up all the towels, but her pink and purple ones from college, because those were a gift from Esme when we moved in here. I then packed up all my clothes. Things that were mine on the walls I just ripped down, some of them pulled the nails out with them, leaving gaping holes in the walls. I was surprised how quickly I had packed everything up. I called and made arrangements with the extended stay hotel suites that were just down from the station.

I had no problem paying for an extended hotel stay. This was just something I didn't publicize, the fact that I was loaded. My parents had left me a substantial fortune when they passed away. I didn't like using that money often, but occasionally, like when buying engagement rings or paying for a new place to live, I tapped into it. Tanya didn't even know about the money, I was planning on telling her about it after she accepted my proposal. I'm sure if she had known I wouldn't be taking my stuff up to a suite in an extended stay hotel. After I got the all the boxes safely into the suite I went over to the station.

When I told the captain what happened he was very understanding. I told him I'd pick up as many extra shifts that he would give me. I wanted as little time as possible to think, or dream. The direction my life was taking had drastically changed. The chief told me to take tomorrow off even though I no longer needed it. My next stop was to return the key for the apartment to Tanya. I went back, walked through making sure I had everything of mine and then headed to her office. She was a VP at a marketing firm in downtown. I walked into the building and headed to her floor. The outer receptionist smiled at me while she was on the phone and waved me in. I walked down the hall to her suite of offices. Her assistant was at her desk and greeted me kindly.

"Is she in Amanda?"

"Yes, she's had me holding her calls for the past hour, not really sure why though, she didn't have anything on her calendar. Knock and go on in Edward, I'm sure she'll be happy to see you." Obviously she hadn't told anyone here we had broken up. I knocked softly on her door and heard a ton of scurrying behind the door. I knocked again and called her name, not wanting to just walk in. I heard a soft, 'Shit', but still I wasn't invited in. I tried the handle and the door was unlocked. I opened it and poked my head in. Tanya was trying to tuck her shirt back in her skirt. I looked to the couch to see a guy that had to be some body builder sitting there. You have got to be kidding me?

"Here is the key to your apartment, Tanya. All my stuff is out, the place is all yours. I hope you enjoy it, and have a wonderful life." I said, before turning and quickly leaving the office. Tanya came running out behind me, begging me to stop, to talk to her. She was pleading that it wasn't what it looked like. My ears were deaf to her pleas, but I knew she was making a fool out of herself in front of co-workers and employees. Well, they all know now that we're finished.

I got back to the hotel and sat in front of the TV hoping I could zone out for awhile, forget about real life. No such luck though, my mind kept thinking of anything and everything. At one point my mind stuck on Seattle. Maybe it was time to move back and deal with my ghosts. I no longer had anything tying me to Portland except my career, and I could easily get transferred to Seattle. I decided to call Alice, I needed to know what she thought about it all. She picked up on the second ring, laughing.

"Hi, Hotpants. How are you? Did you pop the question early?" I had received that nickname from Alice after I mistakenly told her about my pants catching fire during a training drill. She was relentless in using it.

"I wish you wouldn't call me that. And to answer your question, no Alice, the ring is actually going back to the jeweler's tomorrow. I came home last night to find Tanya in bed with another guy. She told me she'd felt us drifting apart recently. She said I could have a few days to make arrangements, but she wanted me out of the apartment as soon as possible, so I spent today packing my things and moving into an extended stay hotel suite." I was surprised Alice had stayed silent this long, I thought maybe I'd lost the connection. "Ali, you still there?"

"Uh, yeah. I'm so sorry, Edward. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Yeah, there is, give me your opinion on me moving back to Seattle?" All I heard was a bunch of squeals and no ways for the next minute.

"Edward, that is great. Mom is gonna flip, you haven't told her yet have you? Oh, let me be there when you call her. We'll do it tomorrow, Dad will be home too so you'll be able to tell both of them." We talked for a few more minutes. She said she knew exactly where I should live, in the same building as her. It was owned by Carlisle and Esme, and one of the apartments was opening next month, she knew they'd hold it for me. I told her good night and tried to get to sleep. I knew I had a big day tomorrow, I had to talk to the captain about getting me a transfer to Seattle and call my Aunt and Uncle and give them the good news.

The captain fully supported my decision, although he wished I wasn't leaving, saying I was one of his best employees. He said that I should have no problems, since my record was stellar, and I had the EMT training. He called up to a friend that he had in the Seattle FD offices to get the paperwork started and rushed through. He did warn me that it would probably take at least a month or two, and I said that wasn't a problem. I left the station and headed back to the hotel. I expected this call to be very different than the meeting I had just had. Alice had texted me saying she was at the house with Carlisle and Esme and they would be here all day. I turned my cell to speakerphone and dialed the number I knew well.

Esme picked up on the first ring.

"Hello, Cullen residence." Always so formal.

"Hi, Aunt Esme."

"Oh Edward, how are you dear? I miss you. Did you propose to Tanya early? Did she say yes?"

"Hold on Esme, can you put the phone on speaker and get Alice and Carlisle too, I want all of you to hear this at once."

"Sure dear, just a minute." I heard some rustling and my aunt calling for the rest of my family in the background. There was a beep and then the noise on the other end of the phone got louder.

"Hello, Edward, can you hear us ok?"

"Yeah, Hi Carlisle, Hi Ali." She started giggling

"Hey, Hotpants!" I growled at her this time, which only made her laugh harder.

"Ok, we're all here Edward, what did you want to talk to us about. How did the proposal go? She said yes didn't she? Have you set a date yet?" My aunt was relentless, I know she just wanted me to be happy, but this was a bit ridiculous.

"Um, no. Actually this has nothing to do about the proposal, ok, well it has something to do with it, but not how you're thinking. Tanya and I broke up, actually she kicked me out. She went behind my back to the leasing company and got them to change the lease to her name only." I heard my aunt and Ali gasp. I hadn't told her that part before. I also heard my aunt mutter what sounded like 'She can't do that legally, can she, Carlisle?' "Um, I came home early the night before last after a really rough shift, and found her in bed with another guy."

"Oh, Edward." I could hear the pain in that statement.

"That's why I'm not really worried about if what she did with the lease is legal or not. I'm currently staying in an extended stay hotel suite. But that's not the big news I was calling with. Um, how would you all feel about me moving back to Seattle?" I heard my aunt squeal louder than Alice had the night before, I was thankful I had my phone on speaker lying on the table, far away from my ear.

"Edward, are you sure? What about your career? Don't get me wrong, I would love to have you back here in Seattle, but I don't want you getting your aunt's hopes up if it isn't definite."

"I already talked to the captain and he started the paperwork for my transfer. He said it can normally take about 6 months for a transfer to go through, but he knows someone in the fire chief's office in Seattle and should be able to get the transfer approved for me in a month or two. Nothing is tying me to Portland anymore, and I think it's time I came home."

"Oh, Edward, I'm so happy. Alice, doesn't the apartment next to Bella open up at the end of next month? I know we haven't decided on who from the waiting list we were going to give it to yet." Ali, and probably Carlisle as well, must have nodded because my Aunt returned to speaking to me. "Edward, don't worry about finding a place. One of the two bedroom apartments in the Neptune building opens up next month. We'll have the lawyers draw up an indefinite lease like Alice and Bella have and you'll have the apartment as long as you want it." I knew Bella was Alice's best friend since college. My aunt and uncle doted on her like she was another daughter, since her family lived a few hours north of Seattle. I'd seen pictures of Bella, but had never gotten the chance to meet her because of my self imposed exile from Seattle. She was a beautiful girl, but not overtly beautiful like Tanya was. Bella's was a classic, simple beauty that seemed to come more from the inside, even though her long mahogany hair and expressive brown eyes were gorgeous.

"That's not necessary, Esme. I can easily get my own apartment. Or buy a house if I'm so inclined. I don't want to take a paying tenant's spot."

"Nonsense. You know we don't need the income, that that building is more of a hobby for me than anything. Plus it will give me another place to decorate. If I change things in this house, Alice, or Bella's apartments again one of them is going to kill me." She giggled. Living next door to the beautiful Bella wouldn't be a bad thing I guess.

"Ok. I'll live at the Neptune."

"Good, all settled then. Call us when you learn more about your transfer." I told her I would, we said our goodbyes and I hung up the phone.

*****

The transfer went through faster than I would have thought possible. By mid December I was told that I officially became a member of the Seattle Fire Department mid January. The captain told me to take a month vacation, since I had the time available, and to go get myself situated in Seattle. The guys threw me a going away party at the bar that our station members frequented. I was excited to be going home, but I was gonna miss the guys here, they were my brothers.

I hired a company to move the car I wasn't driving to Seattle, while I rented a U-haul trailer to tow behind my Volvo XC90. I loaded my boxes into the trailer, put my suitcases into the back of my Volvo, checked out of my hotel, and headed for Seattle. I stayed with my aunt and uncle, until the apartment was move-in ready. I knew they were excited to have me back, and I was excited to be back. The holidays were great. I realized how much I missed Christmas and New Year's with my family.

I was looking forward to checking out my new station and getting to know the guys. I was not looking forward to the jokes that would be played at my expense being the newbie in the station. The only thing I could hope for was a rookie to either be added the same time as me or shortly after. They would be more up for harassing a rookie, than a veteran, since I knew some of what to expect, having gone through rookie hazing already.

For some unknown reason I had the feeling my decision to move back to Seattle would be a great thing.

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So what do we all think? E is moving back to Seattle...and right next door to B!!!! Let me know what you think...REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!!!!


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N**...

Hey all...so are we getting excited, it is officially less than 2 weeks til New Moon! I can't wait.

So this is it, our fabulous main characters finally meet! It is a very short meeting though.

Thanks as always to my wonderful beta, Paige...glad we got the email confusion fixed, LOL!

Of course I don't own the characters (those are Steph's) and I don't own the song (that belongs to the Fab Four from Britain)!! But the plot is mine!!

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Chapter 4- Here Comes the Sun

_Little darling, the smiles returning to the faces  
Little darling, it seems like years since it's been here  
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun  
and I say it's all right_

_~Here Comes the Sun by The Beatles_

BPOV

_December 2008_

Since I had come back to my apartment to find James in our bed with another woman I had worked as many shifts as I could. I would work a double, sleep for a couple hours in the on-call room before doing it again. I even worked two triple shifts, catching catnaps when I could.

As the beginning of the month rolled around my boss made me take two weeks' vacation; "For your health" she had said. Alice took this as her opportunity to get me back into the dating scene. She called one day and told me she'd be down in five minutes with an outfit for me and to get my butt in the shower. When I asked why, she informed me that I was coming out with her, Jasper, and his friend Mike. Jasper had known Mike in high school. He had just moved to Seattle for his job, and since he was new to the area, Jasper and Alice were showing him around. I smelled a set up a mile away but didn't try arguing with Alice, I was bound to loose no matter what.

Of course I was right. Mike wasn't a bad guy, and he was decent looking with his short dirty blond hair and pale baby blues. The night was enjoyable, with Jazz and Mike sharing stories of the trouble they got into in high school. The best was the story of the senior prank they pulled. They decided, since they were part of the swim team, it would be fun to turn the pool into a giant Jello jiggler. They went to every store in a twenty mile radius that stocked Jello and bought every pack (they both came from old southern money so finances weren't a problem). They drove over to the school with the trunks of both their cars filled with Jello. Two other friends of theirs, Ben and Jared, joined them and the four set to work on opening the packages and dumping it in the pool. They had brought boat oars with them to be able to stir the powder into the pool. It took them four hours to open every packet and get all of it dissolved in the water. Then they found the thermostat for the pool area and turned it as low as it would go, making the room an oversized refrigerator. When the team showed up for practice in the morning the coach realized how cold it was and adjusted the thermostat, but didn't notice the pool. Jazz, Mike, Ben, and Jared took their time changing and making their way out on to the pool deck to stretch. No one had looked at the water yet and the boys were trying unsuccessfully to hold in their laughter. The coach came out of the office and walked over to the whiteboard where he started writing the first part of their practice. One of the stars of the team, Matt headed for the side of the pool. He liked to get in early and start whatever warm up the coach was giving them. As he jumped off the side of the pool the four musketeers watched hoping for something interesting, they were reward when Matt hit the "water". Semi hardened Jello splashed everywhere, apparently it hadn't gotten cold enough for the mixture to harden completely. Matt sunk to the bottom of the pool before pushing off and immediately climbing out, pieces of the unfinished jello sticking to him.

"Do you remember Coach's comment Jazz?"

"Of course." They looked at each other before both saying, "Why the hell does it look like a fantasy character jizzed all over you Matt, and why the fuck do I smell Jello?"

"We are so lucky the whole team was laughing and no one ever found out it was us. We would have been in some serious trouble."

Not long after they finished that story I feigned being tired so Jazz and Alice would take me home. As we left the bar Mike and I exchanged phone numbers. He texted me about thirty minutes after we parted company telling me he had a good time.

We spent the next couple of days exchanging texts, innocently flirting. When Mike asked me to dinner, Alice insisted I go. The night was a complete disaster. We walked up to Sushi Bay that was located only three blocks from my apartment. Personally, if he wanted sushi I wish he would have said something, because Cherry Blossom, which was located on the first floor of the Neptune building, was far better. We shared some nice conversation and the food was okay. Mike ordered sake but I kindly refused, that shit killed me. I watched as he drank the tiny bottle himself. I was a bit worried about him drinking too much, but he seemed ok. When he ordered a second bottle I figured he knew what his limit was and kept my mouth shut. When we got up to leave I realized I should have stopped him. He was stumbling all over the place.

Even though my apartment was only three blocks I hailed a taxi. There was no way I was going to be able to carry Mike all the way back, especially wearing heels. When we got back to my apartment there was no way I was allowing him to drive home, but there was no way I was letting him in my apartment. I took his keys and his wallet so I could look at his driver's license. When I looked at the license I was pissed, he lived on 176th Street; that was down by the airport! As I got behind the wheel I was very pleased to see a GPS unit on his dash. I entered the address, noticing it was going to take me close to a half hour to get him home. Terrific! I called Alice to come pick me up at Mike's.

As the GPS told me I was arriving at my destination I saw the Wedgewood Manor Condominiums. I quickly found the unit number that was listed on Mike's license, and pulled into a parking space right in front of it. Mike had unfortunately passed out on the drive and I tried everything to get him coherent enough to walk inside. He finally came around and we walked in the front door. I was just going to leave him on the couch in the living room and take my leave. Just as we passed the stairs he asked if I would help him up to his room. We made our way up the steps and into the room he pointed to. Once in the room I went to deposit him on the bed and step away from him. Mike had other plans. As I released his waist he reached out with both arms and grabbed my waist, pulling me on top of him on the bed. He started kissing me roughly, and grabbing my ass. I was not at all comfortable and as Mike removed his mouth from mine I told him to stop. In his drunken stupor he either didn't pay attention to what I said or thought I was encouraging him.

"Mike, Please stop," I begged. "Mike, I'm not going to ask you again. I said stop. Please don't make me hurt you." His answer to my pleas was to move one hand from my ass to my breast and grind his hips into me. "Ouch, Mike, I warned you." With that I jerked my knee up into his groin. He screamed and let go of me. I ran from the room and out the front doors as I heard Mike cursing and moaning. I sat down on the curb and waited for Alice and Jasper to arrive.

When Jasper's SUV pulled to a stop in front of me I got up and let myself into the back seat. As I settled in for the drive back to our building I became extremely tired. As the unconsciousness of sleep found me I heard Jasper hiss, "No more matchmaking Alice." Damn straight, thank you Jazz!

My two week vacation finally ended and I went back to work. I had off again for Christmas. I was tempted to switch with someone so I would have to work just so I didn't have to go to Forks. I loved my family, and missed small town life sometimes, but I just didn't know if I could deal with two days of pitying stares from Mom, Emmett, Rose, Billy Black or his son Jacob. Well, Jake's stares wouldn't be pitying, more like lustful.

Billy was my Dad's best friend. Billy had lost his wife when I was a little girl. He was a huge help to Mom when dad was killed, since he knew what to say, having already been through loosing the love of his life. Even though he was a few years younger than me, Jake and I became friends due to convenience; when Billy was there, Jake was there, and Billy was there all the time. Jake wasn't a bad kid, and he was the sun to me during those rough first few months, filling the hole in me that my dad's murder had left. Unfortunately he took our friendship as more than it was, feeling we were meant to be together. He kissed me one afternoon and I broke my hand when I punched him for it. I left for college not long after and didn't come home except for holidays. Jake never seemed to get the hint. The Christmas before I met James, he tried kissing me again, earning a punch from both Em and Billy. For the past few years James had been with me, so Jake had kept his distance. Now my buffer was gone, hopefully Em and Rose would help keep him off me.

Christmas Eve morning Emmett and Rose picked me up for the 3 ½ hour drive home. I threw my bags in the back of the jeep, making sure to grab my iPod and pillow. After jumping into the back seat I fell into a deep sleep. As Em made the turn onto Sheriff's Hideaway (I know, kind of ironic for the chief of police), Rose woke me up. I looked at my watch and realized the trip only took us about 3 hours, Emmett and his speeding.

"Home Sweet Home," my brother bellowed as he climbed from the driver's seat.

"Em, did Dad's lectures ever make it into your head?" He just looked at me like I was crazy. "For the son of the old chief of police you sure do speed a lot."

"I wasn't speeding, was I Rosie?" My sister-in-law just looked at her husband with an 'Are you serious?' look on her face. "Ok, so maybe I was speeding a tiny bit, but it's not like I couldn't get myself out of any ticket any member of the force here would write me. I graduated with most of them, blackmail is a wonderful thing." I couldn't help but snort at his assumptions.

"Whatever Em!" I heard the front door slam open before a blur came running down the stairs. My mother jumped right into Emmett's arms, squealing like a school girl.

"Hey Ma!" He said as he spun our mother in a circle before setting her down.

"Oh I'm so glad all of you are here. I've missed you so much." She hugged Rose before turning to me. Luckily my brother and sister-in-law had already started toward the house.

"How are you baby girl? You look thin, are you eating enough? Have you gone on any dates recently?" I loved my mother, but this was exactly why I didn't want to come; the questions would not stop. She pulled me into a hug so tight I thought I was going to die of asphyxiation.

"Mom…can't…breathe," I was able to force out. She quickly released me and started toward the house. When I looked up at the door I saw Billy and the person I was not looking forward to seeing.

"Hey Billy, Jake. Nice to see you guys." We continued with small talk as we went inside, and I could feel Jake staring at me the whole time. Emmett had already dropped my bags off in my old room, so I went to get freshened up and change into something a little more suited to being in the kitchen for the next couple hours. Conversation continued in the living room while I turned on some Christmas music to keep me company. I threw together a quick casserole for dinner then worked on baking a couple batches of cookies. I had just started prepping everything I would need for tomorrow's special dinner; singing along to Elvis' _Blue Christmas,_ when I felt a hand touch my shoulder, causing me to jump and let out a tiny squeak. I turned around to see Jake with a sheepish smile on his face.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you, Bells." I just shook my head, letting him know it was ok. "Did you need help with anything?"

"Um, sure." I reached into the fridge and pulled out the vegetables I planned on roasting tomorrow. "Can you chop these up for me?"

"Sure, Bells." We worked quietly for a few minutes before he spoke again. "Bells, I'm sorry about you and James." I got ready to tell him it was no big deal when he continued, his tone different. "But I told you he was no good; completely wrong for you. When are you going to realize Bells that we're perfect for each other?"

"Jake-"

"No Bells, don't Jake me. I've seen you at your lowest, and you are heading there again. Have you even dated at all since you threw that ass out?" I just shook my head; I really wasn't counting that date with Mike. I heard him put down the knife and walk closer to me. "That's what I thought. Bells, I make you smile. And I would take care of you the way you deserve." He reached out for me and I couldn't take it anymore, something in me snapped.

"Don't _touch _me. What do you want me to do? Move to La Push with you? Give up my career? Give up my friends? Leave everything I love to be with someone that I care for, but can never see myself loving as more than a brother?"

"Bella, please-"

"No. Jake, I love you, I always will. But, it is the same way that I love Emmett. You are my friend, and you do make me smile; you have always been that little touch of sunshine in my life when I've needed it. Jake, I need a friend right now. Can you please put those feelings for me aside and be the friend I need? I just need my sun again." I stopped, tears running down my face. I noticed the rest of my family standing in the doorway to the kitchen.

"Ok, Bells. Sure, whatever you need." He reached out for me again. This time I let him grab my hand and he pulled me into a hug. I cried against his shoulder. I told him how used and hurt I was. He moved us until he could sit in one of the chairs, pulling me into his lap. "It'll be ok Bells." He stroked my hair and down my back, comforting me.

I must have fallen asleep on Jacob's lap because I was awoken by the oven timer going off.

"Hey sleepyhead," Jake smiled at me. I noticed Rose shutting off the timer and pulling the casserole out.

"Thanks Rose. I would have gotten that." She waved off my comment so I turned to Jake, "Sorry, you must be uncomfortable. How long was I out?"

"Only about twenty minutes. And why are you sorry? You're light as a feather Bells, see," he said as he lifted me in the air over his head.

"Jake, what are you doing? JAKE! Put me down!" I exclaimed laughing.

"Not a chance, this is too fun."

"JAKE! Put her down right this instant! I'm not spending Christmas in the hospital." My mother said sternly, but I could see the smile in her eyes. Saved by Renee. Jake quickly put me down, not wanting to incur my mother's "wrath".

We all headed into the dining room and ate the dinner I had prepared. I yawned the entire time. My family quickly ordered me to bed, insisting they would clean up. I changed for bed and crawled under the covers. I was quickly lulled to sleep by the rain hitting the roof.

_I was walking through the woods. I knew I was heading somewhere but I wasn't sure exactly where. Up ahead I saw a lightening on the horizon, I knew I was going to be out of the trees soon. The area in front of me continued to lighten, going from a vibrant green to a golden yellow, until I finally stepped through the last of the ferns and into a beautiful meadow. It was a perfect circle, surrounded by the tall trees of the Olympic Peninsula. Scattered throughout the meadow were wildflowers, and standing in the dead center, holding a bouquet of those same flowers was a bronze-haired Adonis. He smiled at me._

"_I've been waiting for you, what took you so long?" I wasn't able to say anything, so I just shrugged. "Well get over here." He reached out a hand toward me and I stepped closer, mirroring him. As we clasped hands he pulled me close, his smile widening as he looked down at me. "These are for you, beautiful," and he handed me the flowers. As I lifted my head to thank him his lips descended to mine. The kiss continued to progress and he began to lower me to the ground._

I sat bolt upright in bed. What the hell? I hadn't dreamt of him in years. I wonder what brought him up again? It was Edward, Alice's cousin. Although cousins, they acted more like brother and sister. Edward's parents had died when he was young, and guardianship of him was given to his aunt and uncle, Carlisle and Esme. He had left for college and had never came home to visit, so in all the time I'd known Alice I had never met him. I had seen pictures all over the Cullen home, and since I had lived with Alice I heard his voice on our answering machine. Dreams, much like the one I had just woken up from, started not long after I saw his picture for the first time.

I looked at the clock and realized it was already 6:30 in the morning. I knew there was no way I would be able to fall asleep again, I was too sexually frustrated, so I got up and dressed in an old pair of scrubs to finish up everything for Christmas dinner. I worked for a few hours when the rest of my family finally started to get up and come downstairs.

We had a great day. We exchanged presents early before everyone else arrived. Mom bought way too much for all of us, yet again. We basically got the things that we had asked for. We had all finished opening presents when Rose stepped out in the hall and grabbed three boxes, handing one to Em, then me, then Mom.

"Rose, what is this? I thought everything was opened already," Em asked. We were all a bit confused. She just smirked and told us to open the boxes. I pulled off the wrapping paper, opened the box, and froze. Staring up at me from the box was a pale blue shirt that said "World's Best Aunt". When I looked up Mom was crying, holding a shirt that said "My name is Grandma and my mission is to spoil rotten". When I looked over at Emmett his jaw was on the floor. I jumped up and rushed my sister-in-law.

"Oh Rose, I'm so happy for you, this is great." I pulled her into a hug and we jumped around in a circle. Renee was right behind me, and hugged Rose so tight I had to remind her that Rose had to be able to breathe if she wanted a grandbaby. The entire time we were hugging and crying and laughing, Em sat frozen with his mouth hanging open. The three of us finally noticed he was still not moving.

"Babe, are you ok?" Rose asked as she sat next to her husband. He finally snapped out of it, closed his mouth and looked at Rose.

"Does this mean…" he trailed off before finishing the sentence. Rose just nodded her head. "You mean I'm going to b-be a d-dad?" Rose nodded her head again. I saw the smile spread across my brother's face before he jumped up, picked Rose up, and twirled her around, hooting and hollering the whole time. He realized what he was doing and quickly set her on the ground, making sure she was ok. It was going to be too funny watching him fret over Rose for the next few months, but I knew my brother would be a great dad; he had learned from the best.

My mom came up beside me and wrapped her arm around my shoulders. I saw the tears running down her face. She was so happy for them, but I knew what she was thinking, because I had the same thoughts in my head.

"I wish your father was here to see this. He acted much the same way when I told him I was pregnant with Emmett. He just stared off into space for the longest time. Nothing I said would snap him out of it. When he finally heard me calling his name he jumped out and ran all over the neighborhood screaming that he was going to be a dad. It is one of my favorite memories. His smile didn't falter for about a month. I miss him so much."

"Me too, Mom. Me too." We were both in tears, but I composed myself long enough to ask the question I was dying to know. "So, Rose, when is my niece or nephew due?"

"August 20." She was beaming. I didn't get how she was able to keep this a secret for this long. Emmett started getting louder and louder, exclaiming his joy. We heard a knock on the front door before it opened.

"What's all the noise in here about?" Billy asked as he rolled into the room, with Jake, his two sisters and their families in tow. We all started talking at once and congratulations were exchanged. The dinner was nice and the conversation continued well into the evening. We got a call from the Hales after they too opened their special presents from Rose. Her parents were happy for her, as was Jasper. However, you couldn't say Alice was just happy, my best friend was ecstatic. She was yelling into the phone so loud the entire room could hear her.

"Ooo, this means we get to go shopping. Sweet. We can go this week when all the great sales are on." She kept babbling on and on, finally she asked to speak to me. "Merry Christmas bestest friend in the world! Oh I can't believe I forgot to tell you this, but with the way the store gets during the holiday season it completely slipped my mind. Edward moved home to Seattle." I gasped. "Yeah, I know, crazy right? The best part is Mom and Dad convinced him to live in the Neptune."

"Really, I didn't think there were any open apartments."

"Bella, really, the Kefer's next door to you moved out earlier this month. Haven't you heard all the construction work going on?" Honestly I hadn't, I'd been working so much I was rarely home. "Mom has been fixing it up for Edward. He moves in next week." What? Holy shit. The guy I have secretly drooled over for the past 4 years was moving in next door to me? "Oh, and Bella I am throwing a surprise Welcome Home party for him at ONE3ONE. You will be there. Tell Rose and Em they are invited to. And tell her she is not allowed to use our niece or nephew as an excuse. Well I should go, we're heading over to Mom and Dad's soon. Give everyone a hug for me. Love you Bells."

"Ok, Alice, love you too. Bye." Oh wow. Looks like 2009 was going to be an interesting year.

Since I had Christmas off I worked New Year's Eve and Day. Of course it was extremely busy in the ER. We had the normal flow of patients and of course there were more accidents thanks to those idiots that couldn't learn not to drink and drive. At about 1:30am we got a call in from Medic One's chopper. MVA from Idaho. Two victims, both with major injuries including head trauma and possible internal bleeding. The chopper team kept us informed during the flight into Seattle. When the ETA was five minutes the two attendings, two of the residents, and four nurses, including myself, made our way up to the landing pad. Those two patients kept us busy for the next few hours. The patient I was taking care of hadn't been wearing her seatbelt and had gone through the windshield when the crash occurred. She had serious lacerations and abrasions to every inch of her body. She was unconscious, and a CT scan showed cerebral edema, or swelling of the brain, likely caused when she landed on the roadway. She also had severe internal bleeding. Once we got her stabilized she was rushed up to surgery to repair the bleeding in her abdomen as well as relieve the pressure in her skull. I was hoping that she made it.

The rest of my night passed quickly. After I clocked out I went up to the surgery floor to see how the girl from earlier was doing. She was still in surgery. They had relieved the pressure in her skull, but were still working to stop the bleeding in her abdomen. As I watched from the observation area she coded. Internal paddles were grabbed but they were unable to restart her heart. The surgeon called it after they worked for forty minutes to revive her. I quickly turned and left the room as they covered her up. I went straight home, grabbed a bottle of rum and a shot glass. I didn't need to be at work for two days, and I needed to get drunk.

I slammed down four shots in rapid succession. The girl was only eighteen. She and her boyfriend were the only two injured. The driver of the car that hit them, walked away with only a few bumps and scraps. _He_ had been drunk and ended this girl's life right when it was beginning.

"Bastard!" I screamed before slamming another shot. Five shots and I was done for, I passed out on the couch. I woke up the following afternoon to pounding coming from next door. What the hell was going on? I opened the door to the hall and looked next door, there were contractors moving in and out of the apartment. Oh shit, I forgot Alice had said Esme was fixing up this apartment. I closed the door softly so as not to aggravate my headache. I found a bottle of Tylenol and popped four of them before crawling into bed. Now I remember why I don't ever drink like that, ugh.

I slept for a few more hours and woke up feeling much better. I noticed the noise next door had stopped and looked at the clock, 4:30pm. Well I might as well go get something to eat since I hadn't eaten all day. I grabbed my purse and left my apartment, locking the door behind me. I noticed furniture and moving boxes in the hall with the door open. Edward must be moving in. As I waited for the elevator, Alice came out the door.

"BELLA! I was just coming to see you since my stupid cousin doesn't want my help. Where are you headed?"

"Dexter Deli, I'm starving." The elevator dinged.

"Great, I'll join you. Let's go," she said grabbing my hand and pulling me inside.

**EPOV**

It was the second day of the new year and already Alice was getting on my nerves.

"Alice, go back upstairs, I can move in by myself. Esme left instructions for me on where everything should go, I think I'll be ok."

"FINE. You don't want me here I'll go. Maybe I'll see what Bella is doing," she said with a smirk. Damn pixie, what is she up to? Thankfully though she left my new apartment. Next thing I knew I heard her exclaim, "BELLA!"

I walked out into the hallway to grab another box and found the two of them waiting for the elevator. I saw the shape of a petite woman with gorgeous mahogany hair in a ponytail standing next to Alice. I heard Bella say something about Dexter Deli. I quickly grabbed another box right before the elevator dinged Alice looked back at me and caught me staring at Bella. I turned and ran back inside. As I put the box down my cell vibrated with a new text.

_HP-Come get some dinner at the Deli, you'll enjoy the view. 3 A_

I was going to kill my cousin. I didn't know what she had up her sleeve, but I wished she would leave me alone. I had just gotten out of a very long relationship. Tanya had really hurt me. I didn't want to start anything new right now, I needed to be single for awhile.

_A-I have plenty of food here, I'll make myself something, I need to get this stuff in the apartment tonight. E_

I worked for the next few hours getting everything inside. I was able to get to sleep by about midnight. Unfortunately I was up the next morning by 6am. I went out for a run and got back to the building about a half hour later. As I got off the elevator Bella was locking her door. As she turned around she stopped dead.

"Hi, I guess I should introduce myself. I'm Edward Masen, Alice's cousin. You're Bella, right?" She was even more beautiful than the pictures I had seen, especially in the scrubs she was wearing.

"Uh, yeah, I'm Bella, Bella Swan." She reached a hand out to me so I clasped it. It was so soft and warm. "Nice to m-meet you." She was blushing, and it was the sexiest thing I had ever seen.

"Nice to finally meet you Bella, I've heard so much about you. Um, I'm probably making you late for work. Have a good day." I let go of her hand and turned for my apartment before she could say anything else.

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**A/N**...What did we all think? Let me know....

I love reviews...they make my day/week/month!!!!


	5. Chapter 5

Hey all, sorry it has been awhile...RL has been kicking my butt!

Thanks to Paige, my beta extraordinair.

As always I do not own Twilight or the song, the belong to SM and Carolina Liar, respectively...the plot here is all mine and I do not authorize the reproduction of it in any form.

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CHAPTER 5- Show Me What I'm Looking For

_Save me, I'm lost  
Oh Lord I've been waiting for you  
I'll pay any cost  
Save me from being confused  
Show me what I'm looking for  
Show me what I'm looking for_

_~Show Me What I'm Looking For By Carolina Liar_

**EPOV**

"Here! You are to wear this Friday night to One3One. Be there at eight sharp!" My pixie of a cousin directed, throwing a garment bag at me.

"What are you planning, Alice?" I groaned.

"Nothing," she said, smirking.

"Alice," I ground out. I knew she would be able to tell from my tone that I was done playing.

"Fine! Jazz told me you have off Friday through Sunday so I planned a welcome home party for you at the club. It was supposed to be a surprise, so act it when you walk in."

"Okay, but Alice I do own an entire closet full of clothes, why are you throwing more clothes at me? I do usually look good with what I choose…" I trailed off as she gave me a look.

"You're right, you don't do half bad dressing yourself, but I have plans so you will wear what I have picked out. Understood?"

"Whatever Alice! I'll wear what you want, and I'll even act surprised to see everyone. By the way, who's gonna be there?"

"Nope, not telling, I'm going to at least keep one thing secret! I will say it is going to be small. I didn't go overboard for this."

"Well that's a first," I mumbled softly. Thankfully she didn't hear me.

We talked for a few more minutes before she finally left my apartment. She had been waiting for me outside my door when I got home from work this morning, so I hadn't gotten to even shower yet. I had a ritual when I got home and she had just messed with it. I would shower, eat something, then crash in bed for a few hours. As soon as she left, I ran for the shower so I could get the feeling of being covered in soot off of me. This was the one big downfall to my profession, I always felt extremely filthy. After my shower I didn't even bother eating, just crawled into bed.

Just as I was dozing off I heard a loud crash and then a "Fuck!" come from next door. I was out of bed in an instant and running next door. Alice had let a tiny bit about Bella's past slip the other night. She didn't feel right telling me everything, saying she didn't think it was her place to say. However, from what she did say, I was able to figure out that someone had hurt Bella, and not just emotionally, but physically, too. I was afraid that someone was in there hurting her. I banged on the door with both fists.

"Bella, are you ok? It's Edward, let me in." We had seen each other in passing over the last few weeks since I moved in. Mostly it was when one of us was leaving for work and the other was returning home. We were cordial, saying hello and asking how the other was doing, but we hadn't hung out at all yet. I didn't know much more about her than what Alice had told me over the years.

I heard more cursing and another thump before the door slowly opened. Bella was rubbing her head and muttering under her breath. I saw tears streaming down her face.

"Are you ok?" I asked, worried she had really hurt herself.

"I'm…fine," she managed to squeak out. "Some things in my kitchen just fell on my head. You better get used to hearing stuff like that if you're going to be living next to me. I am the epitome of a klutz." She whispered the last part as a very endearing blush spread over her face.

"You sure you're ok?" She nodded. "Cause I could look at your head, make sure you don't have a concussion."

"Edward, I'm an Emergency Room nurse, I think I'd know if I had a concussion," she said, rolling her eyes. "Plus I've always been accident prone, believe me, I'm fine."

"Ok, I'm sorry. Um, if you need anything just holler. I'm here until about six tonight. Take care of yourself Bella." I walked back over to my apartment and crawled into bed again. It took sometime but I finally fell into a restless sleep. My dreams were filled with images of my neighbor, and ways I could protect her from herself.

**BPOV**

Stupid fucking pans! Who the hell put my heavy glass baking dish inside the lighter cake pan? When I grabbed for what I thought would be just a light, aluminum 13"x9" pan, I found both that and the almost 10 pound tempered glass casserole dish inside of it. I wasn't prepared to hold that much weight in one hand and everything came crashing down from the shelf onto my head.

"Fuck!!" I screamed. That really hurt. I was walking to my room to grab some aspirin when I heard a banging at my front door. I froze for a minute, thinking James had finally returned after leaving me alone for a few months.

"Bella, are you ok? It's Edward, let me in." My fear was squelched, but was quickly replaced with anxiety. Of course he would have had to hear me and come running over to check on me.

I made my way to let him in and tell him I was fine, but tripped over my work clogs, spun around, and fell hard onto my ass. I stood up and opened the door; I was still rubbing my head from where the pan had fallen. I kept muttering to myself that it would have to be him seeing me like this. I knew I had tears running down my face from the pain in my head and now also my ass. I quickly assured him I was fine. He argued with me a bit, which made me realize that he was really worried if I was alright. When I snapped that I was a nurse and would know if I was injured, he returned to his own apartment.

I shut my door and grabbed the aspirin I desperately needed. As I entered the kitchen again I heard music playing. _Summertime_ by New Kids on the Block was playing on repeat. Alice's ringtone! I grabbed my phone, I really wasn't in the mood to talk to her, but knew if I didn't answer she'd just show up here.

"What?" I snapped as I opened the phone.

"Hello to you, too, bestest friend." I could tell by her voice she was holding back laughter at me.

"Sorry, Alice. I didn't mean to snap. It's been a rough morning." Understatement of the year there.

"No problem. So everything is set for Friday. Edward's welcome home party is at One3One. I already know you have off Friday and Saturday." I wondered how she knows that. I know I didn't tell her. "And before you ask, I found out from Angela. We are having a Spa day at Ava with Rose that day, and will be getting dressed here at my place. I already have your outfit picked out, but I would like you to try it on. I'll be by tomorrow and I'll take you to the shop. You get home at 7am right?"

"Yes, Alice."

"Good, I'll be here with coffee. See you then." Before I could respond she hung up.

"Bye, Alice," I said to the disconnected phone.

I realized I had to get some sleep since I had a twelve hour shift tonight. I put everything that had fallen out of the cabinet away before retreating to my bedroom to nap before my shift. I slept soundly until my alarm went off at 5:30, showered and threw on my scrubs. I quickly put together two sandwiches, one to eat now, and one to take with me to work. Rarely did I get to eat what I brought, but always liked to have it with me. I grabbed my bags and left the apartment.

I was locking the door when I heard a throat clear. I jumped thinking the worst, but was surprised when I turned around to see my neighbor dressed in a Medic One uniform.

**EPOV**

As I left my apartment for my first shift with Medic One, I noticed Bella was leaving her apartment dressed in scrubs. I didn't want to scare her when she turned around, so I cleared my throat as she locked the door. I noticed her jump and tense a bit at the sound, but she quickly relaxed when she turned and saw me.

"I didn't know you ran with Medic One," she stated very simply. I guess my professions were something Alice didn't talk to her about.

"Yeah, at times. This is actually my first shift. Are you heading in, too?"

"Yup. Twelve hour night shift, it's gonna be great," she said in a very sarcastic tone. I couldn't help but laugh.

"That it is. I'm working the same shift tonight." As we were talking, we were walking towards the elevator. "Hey, why don't we ride in together? We'll do our part to save the environment. One car's emissions instead of two." The words came out before I even realized I was speaking.

"Ummm…uh, sure. You don't mind stopping at Starbucks do you? I really need some caffeine to make it through this shift."

"Caffeine sounds good to me. Let's take my car," I said as we entered the garage. She just nodded her head and let me lead the way to where my sporty Volvo C70 convertible was parked. When I hit the unlock button and the lights flashed I noticed that Bella stopped walking.

"That," she said pointing at my baby, "is your car?"

"Well, one of them." When I looked at her face she was staring at me open mouthed.

"_One _of them?" I couldn't help it; she was so surprised looking it made me laugh.

"Yes, one of them. I also have an XC90, which is Volvo's SUV." She nodded her head. I was wondering if maybe the fact that it was a convertible was making her uncomfortable. "We can take that one if you don't like the convertible."

"No, no. It's fine. I guess I just wasn't expecting you to drive a Volvo. Isn't that a soccer dad sort of car?" I scoffed. I couldn't believe she had said that.

"Maybe it is. The car is extremely safe, but has a good amount of power under the hood. I like to drive fast." Our conversation waned as I opened the door and helped her in. We didn't talk much in the car, apart from her giving me directions to the Starbuck's that was on the way to the hospital. We pulled into a parking space and quickly made our way inside. She walked right up to the register.

"I'll have a Venti quad peppermint mocha, extra whip, and an apple fritter. That'll be everything." I was not letting her pay. So I spoke up.

"No it's not. I'll have the same," I said, handing the barista my credit card, as both her and Bella looked at me. The barista was eyeing me like I was a bottle of water and she was dying of thirst. I hated being looked at like that. Bella was just staring at me incredulously and, I think, a tad bit pissed that I had paid. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and leaned in close.

"Play along," I whispered to her as the overwhelming scent of freesias and vanilla overtook me. I cleared my throat and continued louder for the girl's benefit. "What? Why are you looking at me like that, love? Your order just sounded so good. And please don't be mad that I paid, you know how much I enjoy spoiling you." She hung her head a bit as she blushed.

"Oh I know, babe. But I still hate when you do it. I can pay for my own coffee." I felt her shoulders shaking, so I knew she was holding back her laughter. The girl handed me my credit card back, as well as the bags with our fritters, and we moved down the store to where we would pick up our drinks. She played along with me while they finished making our drinks; even holding my hand as we left the shop.

Once we were securely in my car, and headed toward the hospital again, she busted out laughing.

"That was so freakin' hilarious. I can't believe she bought it. What on earth possessed you to do that?"

"That girl was looking at me like she was ready to attack. I hate when girls look at me like that in public. Mainly because they somehow manage to give me their phone number. I hate having to turn them down. This way she thought I was taken and would leave me alone." She just started laughing harder. "What? What is so funny now?"

"Edward, look at my cup!" She turned the cup as I looked over quickly. There, in black sharpie on the white cup, was a name and number. "Want me to save you the cup when I'm done?" She was laughing so hard now she was having difficulty catching her breath. "Oh…god! Can't….breathe."

"Serves you right for laughing at me," I grumbled. I couldn't believe she found this so funny. I made it to the hospital quickly after that, mainly because I drove about 15 miles over the speed limit. As we got to the nurse's station I noticed all eyes were on us, including my uncle's. I forgot he told me he had been helping to cover the ER recently.

"I'll meet you here at the nurse's station after our shifts, Bella. Ok?" She nodded. "See you then. Hi Carlisle, bye Carlisle." I turned and headed for the Medic One locker area.

The night was a rough one, especially for my first night on this team. Usually the car with the newbie got the shit calls, easy things like escorting patients from nursing homes or minor falls. The amount of calls that came through, though, warranted that I see some regular action.

The worst I had to deal with was a four-year-old who had been stabbed by her six year old brother. He had found his dad's hunting knife and was showing his sister when he tripped. Luckily, the knife landed between her vital organs. The little girl was extremely calm the whole time, it was her mother who was a mess.

I was glad when I saw the sun rising, I knew I only had a few more hours. Fortunately, the morning was quiet and soon I was walking up to the nurse's station. Bella had her back to me so she didn't see me approach. I watched her for a few minutes while she interacted with the other nurses and finished up some of her paperwork. She was completely in her element here. I didn't see the clumsy girl that had revealed herself to me yesterday when I heard the crash from next door. She moved gracefully here, like she was meant to be a part of the hustle and bustle of an ER. After about ten minutes, Bella noticed me standing there, giving me a tentative smile. I smiled back before walking over.

"Ang, can you finish this chart for Dr. Banner?" I heard her ask the nurse standing right next to her. Ang was busy looking down and hadn't seen me walking up.

"Come on, Bells, I've had ten charts handed off to me by different residents and interns. I don't need another one." As she finished I was standing across the counter from the two of them and announced my presence.

"Hey. You ready to go, Bella?" As I started talking Ang's head snapped up.

"Um, can you give me a couple more minutes, Edward? I just have to finish this char-" Bella didn't even get to finish before Ang cut her off.

"I've got it, Bells. Go on and get out of here. Ben's already on his way to work, so I've got nothing to do." She winked at Bella, then turned to me. "Hi. I'm Angela Weber, and you are?" She extended a hand to me.

I took it and shook as I replied,"Edward Masen. Nice to meet you."

"Likewise." I could see the engagement ring on her finger, but I knew that smile she was giving me. She was flirting.

"Ang, Edward is Dr. Cullen's nephew, and, as you can see, a member of Medic One. He just moved back to Seattle and into the apartment next to mine." Ang mumbled something and I swear I heard, 'Isn't that convenient?' "We decided to carpool when we're both working. Let's get going Edward. I want to try and escape your cousin if possible."

I started laughing. If Alice wanted Bella for something, she would get Bella. Alice was a force to be reckoned with when she wanted something.

We quickly made our way to the car. As we left the hospital parking lot, Bella rested her head against the back of the seat. She was asleep in no time. When we got back to the apartment I didn't have the heart to wake her. So I got out and went to her door. I threw her purse over my shoulder (I know, I know…I'm gay), and then lifted her into my arms. She stirred for a second before clutching the front of my shirt and burying her head under my chin. She felt amazing in my arms, and at that moment I never wanted to let her go. The scent of her was delicious; all I wanted to do was take a bite and see if she tasted as good as she smelled.

Although she was light as a feather, it was difficult to open the door without dropping her. Somehow I managed to get us inside and into the elevator. I looked down at her in my arms and I couldn't help but think she looked like an angel. I knew without a doubt this woman was everything I had been looking for. As the elevator dinged on our floor I couldn't resist any longer, and I kissed the top of her head just as the doors opened. Standing in front of the elevator door was Alice, holding a drink carrier with three Starbucks cups in it. I quickly pulled my head back, but I knew she had seen the innocent kiss because the biggest smile spread across her face. This would not be good.

* * *

So, what did we all think about the E&B interaction? Let me know through a review!!!!


	6. Chapter 6

AN: Hi all. Sorry its been awhile. Things have been rough for both me and my beta. I wanted to post before the holidays, since I'll be busy for the next few weeks.

This is going up un-betaed, so please forgive any mistakes.

Here is my present to all of you, my loyal readers, Alice's reaction and the Welcome Home party at the club..

Characters and song are not mine...just the plot!

* * *

Chapter 6- Fire Burning

_She get it pop it lock it drop it,  
That birthday cake,  
Got a candle, need to blow that crazy flame away  
Now take my red, black card and my jewelry  
Shawty is cool like the fire,  
Cool like fire  
Somebody call 911  
Shawty fire burning on the dance floor  
Whoa  
I gotta cool her down  
She won't bring the roof to ground on the dance floor  
Whoa  
She's fire burning, fire burning on the dance floor  
That little shawty's fire burning on the dance floor_

_~Fire burning by Sean Kingston_

**APOV**

NO. FREAKIN'. WAY. I cannot believe this. By the looks of things I wouldn't have to do much scheming to get Bella and Edward together. I was stunned to see my cousin stepping off the elevator in the morning, carrying my best friend. What the hell happened? I could see they were both dressed for work, and Bella was sleeping. I just raised an eyebrow at Edward as he walked up to me.

"We carpooled into work today. We figured why take two cars from the same place, to the same place." He explained to me in a whisper.

"Uh, huh. And this?" I said, holding the coffees in one hand as I gestured to Bella's sleeping form.

"She fell asleep on the way home and I didn't have the heart to wake her." I just smirked at him. "You have a key to her apartment don't you?" I nodded. "Can you pull it out so I can put her in her bed?" I shook my head no. "Why not?"

"Because she's supposed to be coming to the shop with me this morning. Bella, wake up?" I said shaking the sleeping girl's shoulder. I saw Bella start to stir in Edward's arms.

"Hmm. What?"

"Wake up, Bella! Here, I have your crazy order from Starbuck's. Get moving. We need to go try on some dresses."

"Wait, where am I?" She turned to look at Edward's chest. "Oh!"

"Um, I'm sorry. You fell asleep on the way home and I didn't have the heart to wake you." Edward said as he put Bella on her feet. I noticed Bella's normal blush start. I swear that girl blushed at everything.

"Thanks," she mumbled softly. Ok, time to get things moving. I handed the coffee I got for Edward to him, and Bella's to her.

"Black coffee for you, cousin. The peppermint thing you always get, Bella." I grabbed my quadruple espresso from the carrier and threw the carrier at Edward. "Throw that away. Bella, grab your purse from Edward. We have dresses to try on. Move it, woman!" I grabbed her hand as she reached out for her purse that Edward was handing to her. She snagged it as I pulled her into the elevator. I had at least two hours until she started complaining about playing Bella Barbie. I planned on using every minute of that time to find out everything I possibly could.

BPOV

FOUR HOURS! That was how long Alice kept me hostage two days ago. She had said all I had to do was try on the dress I was going to wear on Friday. She lied! I knew as we entered the elevator that I was in trouble. Alice had this glint in her eye that I knew well. It was the matchmaking glint. I was right, of course. She pumped me for information about Edward and me while I tried on the dress she had picked out. The dress was lovely; it was a strapless, empire waist, royal blue dress. It was simple but so very me. I had to admit it was very beautiful and I looked great in it. However when that didn't give her enough time to ask all the questions she wanted, Alice started bringing in more clothes for me to try on. After trying on the fiftieth pair of pants and the hundredth blouse I told her enough was enough. That whole time she interrogated me about everything she could think of in regards to Edward. She asked me more times than I could count if I thought he was good-looking. Then she moved on to why I was being carried inside and why Edward and I drove into work together. I evaded most of the questions by making a comment about a part of the latest outfit she had me in. When she finally caught on to what I was doing and insisted I answer the questions, I answered them rather vaguely. Alice only agreed to release me when she realized I was practically falling asleep standing up.

The next two days were very uneventful and flew by quickly. It was Friday morning and I was trying to catch up on my missed sleep from the previous couple of nights. Since the day I drove to work with Edward I hadn't been able to sleep well. My dreams were haunted by his green eyes and the feel of his arms around me. When he grabbed my hand on the way out of Starbucks that evening I had felt a jolt of electricity pass between us. The feeling was so strange I really thought I imagined it. But when he touched my hand again as he passed me my purse while I was being pulled away by Alice I felt it again. And I knew by the look on his face that he had felt it too, and was just as surprised by it. Way too early for my liking, I heard a knocking at my door shortly before I heard it open. I needed to take that key back from Alice. I pulled the covers over my head and tried to hide from my best friend.

"BELLA! Get your ass out of bed. We've got a full day of pampering ahead of us and need to get moving." I groaned loudly as Alice ripped my comforter off my bed.

"ALICE! What the hell? You're just lucky I don't sleep in the nude!"

"Pssh! I lived with you, remember? I know you don't sleep in the nude. And even if you happened to start, again I lived with you; it's nothing I haven't seen before. Here, put this on," she said handing me a baby blue fitted track suit. I noticed it looked the same as the one she had on, just hers was pale green. "No need to shower now. You'll be showering at the spa after the mud bath I have scheduled for us. I'll meet you in the living room in five minutes, Rose is already waiting for us." She left me alone to change.

The next few hours were filled with every spa treatment imaginable. We had massages and mud baths; facials and paraffin wax treatments; manicures and pedicures. We ate lunch after the massages and mud baths. Finally, after what had to have been every treatment they offered, we had our hair and makeup done. As we made our way up to Alice's to get ready I was surprised to look at my watch and realize it was already almost five in the evening. We had been in the spa for eight hours! We quickly dressed. Alice of course made sure each of us was perfect. Adding jewelry, only to change her mind and hand us something different three minutes later.

Rose's dress looked wonderful on her, highlighting the very slight baby bump that was now visible on her thin frame. It was a burgundy dress with a black lace over-lay. Alice's dress was also perfect on her; not that I thought it wouldn't be. One of the reasons Alice's shop was so successful was because she knew what items of clothing and what colors worked best on every person. Alice was wearing an emerald green dress that had some extremely skinny beaded straps and a big bubble hem. After one last change of shoes from blue to silver to match my jewelry and clutch, Alice deemed us ready to go. Jasper and Emmett were waiting for us downstairs.

"Alice what the hell did you do with my baby sister? Cause this definitely ain't her!" I saw Rose's hand moving and knew what was coming next. _WHACK!_ "Oww, Babe! What the Fuck?" _WHACK!_ "Shit! What was that one for?"

"You need to learn to watch your mouth. I will not have this baby's first words be curse words!" My sister-in-law stated rather bluntly. I couldn't help but giggle and I heard Alice join me. When I looked at my brother he was rubbing the back of his head and looked to be mumbling something under his breath.

"Um, I'll assume there was a compliment in there somewhere, Em. So thanks."

"Yup, definitely a compliment little sis. You look H-O-T, hot!" I laughed again and we headed out the door. Sitting waiting for us at the curb was an Expedition limo. I looked at Alice with a raised eyebrow.

"Mom and Dad didn't want anyone driving. This was their contribution for the night." We piled in the limo and started our party with some champagne, sparkling cider for Rose. I asked Alice how Edward was getting there. She told me not to worry about it. As we walked into the club I was behind the two couples and realized that they matched. Alice had Jasper in a hunter green button down shirt with the top few buttons open and the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Em was wearing a burgundy shirt with a black vest. Both had on jeans. What I wouldn't give to be in jeans and my flip flops right now. Then it hit me. Alice had plans to play matchmaker with Edward and I. Would he match what I was wearing?

EPOV

I hadn't seen Bella at all since Alice pulled her away from me the morning I carried her inside. And I'd be lying if I said I wasn't upset by that. I couldn't get her out of my head. As Friday rolled around I assumed I would be seeing her that night at this welcome home party Alice was throwing. I heard a door slam next door early that morning and looked out the peep hole to see what was going on. I saw Bella being dragged, again by Alice, to the elevator in a baby blue sweat suit that showed every single curve she had. _JESUS!_ That image was not going to leave my mind anytime soon. She was gorgeous! I decided to go back to bed. Alice had told me I didn't have to be at the club until 9pm and today was one of my days off. I fell back asleep where my dreams were filled with images of Bella in the outfit and what it would be like to take it off of her. I woke up a few hours later needing a cold shower.

I did some cleaning that I had been pushing off for the past week. By the time I finished cleaning the kitchen it was about 7pm. I pulled the garment bag that Alice had given me the other day out of my closet. I hadn't looked in it at all, so I had no clue what I was going to be wearing. I opened it to find a deep blue button down shirt with a silver metallic pinstripe, and dark wash jeans. Jeans typically weren't something that Alice picked out for party wear, but I was glad to see them. As I took the items out of the bag I realized Alice had even included underwear for me! That girl had serious control issues, I felt kinda bad for Jasper, her fiancé. I had only met him once right after they got engaged. Alice had brought him down to visit me; he seemed like an ok guy.  
I took my time dressing, and then tried to get my unruly hair under control. After a half hour of fighting with my hair, I gave up, settling for running my hand through it and allowing it to fall where it would. As I walked to the front door I noticed a note taped to it. I pulled the paper off and opened it to see a note from Alice. Did that woman ever give up?

_Hot Pants,  
There will be a limo waiting for you downstairs when you are ready to go.  
No drinking and driving for us tonight. Enjoy the ride, see you soon!  
Alice_

I had to admit, that was a smart idea on her part. I decided to take the stairs and made it downstairs quickly. I walked out to the limo waiting in front of our building. The driver greeted me with a "Good Evening, Mr. Masen." I nodded to him as he opened the door letting me inside. The ride to the club was quick and I didn't get to fully appreciate the amenities inside. I looked at my watch to see I was right on time.  
I opened the door to the club and was greeted by a giant man. He had on a headset and was holding a clipboard.

"Name," was all he said to me. Guess Alice rented out the club. I quickly gave the man my name. He pushed a button on the side of the headset. I heard him whisper a couple yeahs and uh-huhs. Then he waited about 30 seconds before looking at me and saying, "Ok man, go on through, have a good time." I mumbled a thank you and pushed the interior doors open.

"SURPRISE! Welcome Home, Edward!" Was the sound that greeted me. Trying to act surprised like Alice asked me wasn't too hard, I was astounded to see close to a hundred people in the club. Alice was the first to walk up to me and she pulled me towards a roped off VIP area.

"Thanks for acting surprised," she whispered to me.

"That wasn't an act Ali. I wasn't expecting this many people. Speaking of, where did you possibly find so many people to invite?"

"Mostly people we went to high school with." Um, ok. "The VIP area here is just family, or at least who you need to consider family. Jasper, Emmett, Rosalie, and Bella." My ears perked up at that. _Bella._ That meant she was here and I was going to see her soon. Alice pulled me into the VIP area, which was not only sectioned off with ropes, but sheer drapes that were hanging from the ceilings.  
As we came around the drapes I saw her. She was even more breathtaking than normal. She was talking to a statuesque blond who looked pregnant, that must be Rosalie. I must have stopped walking when I saw her because I felt Alice tug on my arm. I looked down to see her smirking at me.

"What?" I asked.

"See something you like, Edward?"

"Shut it, short stuff!" She just gave me another knowing look and we continued on to the others. Jasper was in one of the leather couches, talking to a guy who was only slightly smaller than the bouncer at the front door. That must be Emmett. The two guys stood as we came over.

"Welcome home, Edward," Jasper said, extending a hand to me. "I hope you realize how happy you've made Alice." I smiled and nodded.

"Thanks Jasper. Good to be home." I noticed Rosalie and Bella walked toward the four of us. Rosalie stood next to Emmett, and he draped an arm around her shoulders.

"Edward, this is Emmett and Rosalie, Rose is Jasper's sister, so family in a couple of months. Rose, Em, this is my cousin/brother, Edward. And of course, you already know Bella." Alice introduced all of us. I shook both Em and Rose's hands, both of them welcoming me home as well. Then I turned my attention to Bella. She was looking at the floor, and I would bet anything she was blushing. I loved that blush.

"Nice to see you again, Bella."

"You too, Edward." It was then I noticed what everyone was wearing. The two couples I was standing opposite of both matched. Em and Rose both in burgundy and black, Jasper and Ali both in green. When I looked at Bella standing next to me, I noticed we matched as well. Her dress was a perfect royal blue color that highlighted her creamy skin to perfection. The dress showed off her delicious looking collarbone. All I wanted to do was kiss along it from one side to the other, tasting her skin. I felt the arousal, that hadn't really left me after my dreams of her that morning, stir. I thanked the powers that be for Alice deciding on jeans for the guys for the night. Just as I thought I couldn't possibly stop myself from attacking the poor woman, Alice grabbed Rose and Bella and said they were going to dance. As the girls situated themselves in the center of the dance floor, I followed the guys to the private VIP bar. I ordered a beer. The three of us sat talking for a few minutes. I learned that Emmett also was a firefighter at the same station as Jasper and I. I hadn't had any shifts with him yet, but looked forward to working with him, he seemed like someone you wanted behind you at our job. Soon Jasper ordered a round of shots.

"Congrats Emmett. I know you and Rose will be great parents, well at least Rose will be." He started laughing and dodged a punch from Em. "Seriously though, congratulations, I can't wait to meet my niece or nephew." I raised my shot glass to toast the father-to-be before downing it. The night continued to progress. I had a couple beers under my belt by the time the girls stopped dancing. Alice ordered shots and drinks for her and Bella, while Rose got a Coke. Alice quickly announced she was ready to dance again. Rose bowed out, saying she was too tired. Alice pointed at Jasper and I.

"You two. Dance floor. Now!" We both got up and followed her and Bella out to the main part of the club. I realized that I was going to be dancing with Bella, grinding to be more accurate, since hip-hop music was the only thing playing in the club. When we reached about the same spot the girls had been in before, Jasper pulled Alice against him and they started dancing. I turned to Bella and pulled her close to me. The song changed at that moment. I recognized the melody immediately.

_It's getting late  
I'm making my way over to my favorite place  
I gotta get my body moving shake the stress away_

Rihanna's voice was now blaring through the club. Bella tried leaving space between us but I wasn't having it. I wanted to feel her, all of her.

"Edward, I really can't dance like this. The only reason I was even out on the floor before is because it is futile to argue with Ali and Rose. I can usually win against one of them, but not both." I chuckled as I leaned into her ear so she could hear me over the music. I was rewarded as a shiver ran down her body.

_I wasn't looking for nobody when you looked my way  
Possible candidate (yeah)_

"Bella, it's all in the leading, just follow the movement of my hips," I said before nibbling on her ear. So, maybe I should have had a few less shots.

_Who knew  
That you'd be up in here looking like you do  
You makin' staying over here, impossible  
Baby, Ima say your aura is incredible  
If you don't have to go, don't_

Bella did as I told her and soon both our hips were swinging back and forth to the beat. The drink's Bella had quickly downed started to kick in and she became more daring, dancing closer to me. At this point she couldn't have gotten any closer to me without being inside my skin. Not that I was complaining. I knew exactly what part of the song was coming and we were beginning to match the lyrics.

_Do you know what just started?  
I just came here to party  
But now we're rockin on the dance floor, actin' naughty  
Your hands around my waist  
Just let the music play  
We're hand in hand chest to chest and now we're face to face_

I leaned in closer to her, so our cheeks were touching. I could smell the strawberry scent that had been driving me crazy since I carried her inside the other morning. I nuzzled the hallow of her neck with my nose and felt, rather than heard, her moan. Could it be possible she felt the same way I did?

_I wanna take you away  
Let's escape into the music, DJ let it play  
I just can't refuse it  
Like the way you do this  
Keep on rockin' to it  
Please don't stop the, please don't stop the music_

I noticed Bella relaxing even further in my arms. By the time the second chorus started I felt warm, open-mouthed kisses being placed along my neck to just below my ear. When she started to travel down the side of my jaw I lost all ability for coherent thought. I knew I had to stop this soon, or I would not be responsible for my actions.

"Bella, you need to stop," I said right into her ear. She stopped placing kisses on my skin and leaned into my ear again.

"Maybe I don't want to stop," she purred. This woman is going to be the death of me.

"Bella, you're drunk," she nodded and held her finger and thumb close together in front of my face, signaling 'just a little bit'. "I won't take advantage of you."

"Edward, I know _exactly_ what I am doing. I want _this_. I've wanted this for a long time. I think I've wanted this since Alice showed me a picture of you years ago. Let's get out of here." Bella grabbed my hand and led me to the VIP area. We said our goodbyes, but Ali grabbed me before we could leave.

"What's going on Edward?" she asked, giving me a knowing look.

"Exactly what we said. Bella has had a bit too much to drink so I am helping her get home."

"Uh-huh, sure." She turned to Bella and I heard her say in a not to soft whisper, "Have fun, don't do anything I wouldn't do." Bella walked back to me and we quickly left the club. We took the limo back. As soon as we were inside, the door was closed, and the divider glass between us and the driver up, Bella attacked me. She crawled up and straddled my lap, kissing me like I was the last thing she would ever taste. Her tongue came out and I met it right away with my own.

With her straddling my lap, the dress she was wearing had ridden up, and I could feel the heat emanating from her core. My already hard cock got even harder. I knew beyond a doubt she could feel me know. I gripped her ass with one hand, holding her against me as the other reached up into her hair. We pulled apart reluctantly, needing to breath.

"You are so beautiful, Isabella. I've thought so for a long time." I stopped talking as she started unbuttoning my shirt and kissing the new skin that she revealed. "Bella, you have to stop. I'm not going to take you in the back of a limo. We'll be back to the apartment soon, just wait a few more minutes." She groaned but did as I asked. I kissed her sweetly. God I want this woman so much. How are we not back at our building yet? It did not take this long to get to the club earlier. Just as I finished that last thought I felt the car come to a stop. I didn't wait for the driver to come open the door. I was out the car, still holding Bella, before he had fully opened his door. "You can go back over to the club to wait for the rest of the group, thanks." He nodded, closing his door again. I rushed inside our building and took the stairs to our floor, too impatient to wait for the elevator.


	7. Chapter 7

AN: So I am feeling very generous right now, the Christmas Spirit has touched me. So I give you what you all have been waiting for....

Some lovin between are two favorite characters.

Like I said in the previous chapter, this is un-betaed, so forgive any mistakes.

SM created some kick ass characters, I just put them in this crazy story. Now I leave it to the classic by Marvin Gaye...

* * *

Chapter 7- Let's Get it On

_I've been really tryin , baby  
Tryin to hold back these feelings for so long  
And if you feel, like I feel baby  
Come on, oh come on,  
Let's get it on  
Lets get it on  
Let's get it on  
Let's get it on_  
_~Let's get it on By Marvin Gaye_

**BPOV**

I'd never felt so wonderful before. I knew I was drunk, but the connection I had with the man carrying me up the stairs to our floor was extraordinary. I felt electricity everywhere, tingling over every inch of my skin with our bodies pressed this close together. I nibbled at his earlobe again, earning a growl that shook my body and aroused me so much I was certain I would cum before he ever touched me. As he stepped onto our floor I pulled my keys from my purse and whispered "my place" to him. As he reached my door I turned slightly and shoved the key into the lock. I turned it quickly, the door opened a small amount, and I pulled my key out. As I was getting ready to push the door open, Edward kicked it.

Once inside, Edward kicked the door closed before slamming me against it. His mouth was on mine as my back hit the door and I moaned. I could feel his erection pressed exactly where I wanted it. I started to grind my hips into him, which resulted in a moan from him.

"Bedroom?" He questioned. I pushed against his chest and he pulled back enough so I could slide to the ground. I grabbed his hand and led him to the bedroom. As he walked behind me I felt the zipper of my dress get pulled down, causing the dress to slowly fall to the floor.

"A little impatient, aren't we?" He just shrugged his shoulders, then nodded.

"I told you, Isabella. I've wanted you for a long time. I intend to get you naked and underneath me as soon as I can. I want you screaming my name repeatedly tonight." The man I had dreamt about in college before I met James, the same man that I had been dreaming about every time I slept since he moved next door to me, just told me that he's wanted me to, and intends to have me, multiple times. I think I just stopped breathing. "Bella, breathe." Well that answers that.

I walked backwards toward the bed, crooking my finger for Edward to follow me. As the back of my knees hit the bed Edward lunged for me. I fell backwards onto the bed, giggling like a fool. Edward landed on top of me and his mouth covered mine once again, silencing me. Our hands began roaming each other's bodies. Edward's hands were warm on my skin, and I wanted to touch him as well. I started unbuttoning the dress shirt he had on.

"Now who's impatient?" He whispered into my neck while he sucked there.

"I'm not impatient, you just have on more clothing than me, and I need to rectify that problem." I felt him grin against my collarbone, where he had been laying kisses, moving from one shoulder to the other. Everything he was doing felt amazing. When I finally got the dress shirt, and the black tank he had on as an undershirt, off I gasped at how perfect his chest was. All hard muscle, every inch of it defined. It was like he was a statue of a Roman God. As I ran my hands over those perfectly sculpted muscles they rippled under my touch. As I moved to the waistband of his jeans he let out a low growl, it was the sexiest thing I had ever heard. I undid the button and as I lowered the zipper I touched the massive erection he had been grinding into me all night. _HOLY SHIT!!! _I hadn't seen or touched it fully yet and I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that he was huge. As my fingertips grazed him through his boxer briefs, he hissed. _I swear this man makes the most delicious noises. _

Edward had attacked my mouth again, and our tongues were fighting for dominance. I pushed the jeans as far down his legs as I could without breaking the kiss that was making me never want to have to breathe again. When I couldn't push them any further I brought my feet up, hooking my toes in the fabric to push them the rest of the way. We finally had to break the kiss for air and the mood in the room changed.

Our kisses became more reverent, less frantic. Our touches became caresses instead of aimless groping. It was like a switch had been flipped, and as much as we both wanted crazy sex, we also wanted to worship the other. Every touch, every kiss from Edward was making me feel like a princess. It had been so long since I had had any companionship (I hadn't been with anyone since James), and nothing about him was ever sweet, but that is what Edward was doing. He was treating me how everyone told me I should have been treated.

Edward reached beneath me and undid the clasp of my strapless bra. I was surprised since the lace covering my chest hadn't been stopping Edward from giving my perk nipples attention. Pulling, pinching, licking, nibbling, kissing, and massaging; he was leaving no millimeter of them without attention.

"Perfect," he whispered as he pulled the bra away. He kept looking, and treating me, like a precious gem. As he worked his way down my body, every nerve ending tingled from the attention he was giving me. It was like an electric current was coming from Edward's every touch, I never wanted it to end. He got to the tiny piece of lace covering me from his view.

"Do you care about these?" He asked pulling on the strap at one of my hips. I shook my head no. Before I could process what was happening he had ripped the fabric from my body. I gasped from the suddenness of his action, which caused him to chuckle as he lowered his head between my legs. "You're so wet," he moaned as his fingers slid up and down my slit, circling my clit. His ministrations caused a low whimper to fall from me lips.

"Please, Edward," I begged. After my plea, I felt his tongue touch my nub, I moaned in satisfaction. His fingers moved lower, teasing my entrance. "Oh, God, Edward! Yes!" I screamed as one of his fingers entered me; when he added a second I was done for. I was panting his name, pleading with him for more. He curled his fingers up and I nearly jumped clear off the bed from the pleasure that coursed through my whole body. _What the fuck just happened?_ When he did it again I moaned so loud I was afraid Alice would hear me if she was upstairs. This man was doing crazy things to my body and I was enjoying every second of it. When he hit that spot for the third time I was finished. I felt my walls clamp around his fingers as I screamed his name.

"Well, that was one. You ready for two?" All I could do was nod my head limply. He crawled up my body and leaned down for a searing kiss. I could still taste myself on his lips. He ground his hips into mine. I reached down between us and pushed at the waist band of his underwear. He got my hint and stood up, pushing the last piece of clothing from his body allowing my first glimpse of all he had to offer. _Mother of God, he is even bigger than I thought._ I reached for the bedside table, opening the top drawer. I pulled out a handful of condoms and threw them next to my head. He smirked at me as he crawled back on the bed. "I like when a woman is prepared."

He grabbed one of the little foil packets and opened it before rolling it on his length. Once it was on, I sat up and grasped his shoulders, pulling him back down to me. I felt him resting between my thighs and sighed with the thought of the pleasure that was to come.

"Edward, please. I need you. Now!" I was getting impatient. I wanted to feel all of him. He reached between us and grasped himself to line up with me.

"Ready, love?" He questioned me quietly.

"Yes. Please!" That last plea was all it took before he thrust fully into me. "Oh, God. Edward, you feel amazing." I said when he stilled.

"Bella, so tight, so warm. Perfect. I just need a second." He stayed buried in me, balls deep. What had started so frantically at the club, was now sweet and, dare I say, loving. I knew then and there that this man was it for me. I was in love with him and nothing, nothing, would keep us apart.

When he started moving, slow thrusts, I thought I would fall apart. As I cried out for more, he gave it to me, moving faster.

"Bella, I'm not going to last much longer, love. Cum with me," he stated before moving his one hand to my clit. As soon as he touched me I finally broke into a million pieces.

"Edward!" I screamed his name again as I fell into the pleasure abyss. I faintly heard his voice call out my name as well. As I lay in post-coital bliss I felt him pull out, leaving me feeling empty and wanting again. I felt the bed rise from the loss of his weight as he got off to dispose of our protection. The bed dipped a few minutes later as he came back to me. I was pulled into his chest tightly. I was falling asleep fast. I'd never felt so happy, ever. Just as I was falling into unconsciousness I felt Edward kiss the top of my head, and I swear I heard him whisper, "I love you, Bella."

**EPOV**

I had never had any complaints about my sex life before, but after Bella, there would be no going back. I had never felt such intense pleasure in all my life. I didn't, and still don't, have a word that adequately describes it. After the best orgasm I had ever had, I hated pulling away from her. If not for the fact that I had to dispose of the condom we'd used before things got interesting, I would have stayed inside of her for the rest of the night. I practically leapt from the bed and sprinted back.

When I crawled back onto the bed, I noticed she was falling asleep. I pulled her into me, spooning her back to my chest. She was a perfect fit; like she had been made just for me. Her breathing was evening out, I knew she was asleep or very close; so I kissed the top of her head and whispered how I felt about her. I was fairly certain she didn't hear me. I fell asleep shortly after that, holding on to the woman I loved.

My dreams were filled with Bella. Since I had finally had her, my mind concocted even crazier sexual fantasies than it had before. Knowing the touch of her skin, and the sounds she made. Even though I had yet to experience it, my unconscious conjured Bella kneeling between my legs. Her hands were running up and down my inner thighs, causing me to groan since she was avoiding the thing staring her right in the face, the part of my mind I wanted all of her attention on.

After a couple more of my moans and a final plea of "please" from me, she grasped me in her hand. It was so warm and soft; I had to concentrate on something else just to prevent me from blowing my load like a horny teenager. I was not, and never would be, a 'two pump chump'. She ran her fists up and down my shaft several times before leaning forward. I felt her tongue touch the tip, eliciting a moan from both of us. Even after just being with her once, my mind was excellent at remembering the sounds she makes, because the moan from Bella seemed so real.

When she looked me right in the eye as she lowered her mouth over my straining cock, I almost lost it again. It was the sexiest thing ever to have my eyes locked with hers as she took me in as far as she could comfortably manage. The sensations felt so real, I never wanted to wake from this dream. When I reached out and touched her breast, rolling the nipple between my fingers, I felt the moan fall from Bella. It was with that feeling I realized I wasn't dreaming. As I woke up fully, I groaned again; this time adding my love's name. Her eyes snapped to mine and I couldn't help but smile.

"Good morning," she whispered after releasing my dick from her mouth.

"It's a very good morning," I said, causing her to smirk, and that lovely blush of hers to color her features.

She took me into her mouth again, this time taking me in so far that her lips rested against my pubic bone and my balls, and I felt my tip down her throat. _Oh, Fuck! My girl can deep throat, without gagging, I fell in love even more._ She moved faster and faster. I was not going to last much longer. I told Bella exactly that and tried to pull her off me, not sure her preference. She just hummed around me, sending me over the edge. I exploded into her mouth and she swallowed every last drop. As she released my softening member, she gave it one final kiss on the tip before she crawled up my body and snuggled into my side.

"That was a great way to be woken up. Thank you, love." I said quietly into her hair before kissing the top of her head.

"Well I couldn't help myself. I was being poked and thought that you needed some attention. So, what were you dreaming about?"

"Uh, um," I stammered. _Tell her, don't tell her. Fuck it, I'm telling her._ "Uh, you." She just looked at me with a weird expression on her face before what I said registered.

"Me?" I nodded. "In that way?" God I loved how she was a vixen one minute, and innocent the next. I nodded again.

We spent the rest of Saturday lying around the apartment. We lounged in bed for a few more hours, getting up when both our stomachs started growling. Bella made breakfast, well I guess it was technically a brunch since we didn't get out of bed until close to 12:30. She made the biggest spread of food I could have imagined; omelets, hash browns, sausage, and bacon. We ate on the couch in the living room while we watched a movie. We argued over the best character in _The Princess Bride_; I said it was Westley, she said Inigo Montoya.

"Edward, seriously, the 'My name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die' line is the best in the movie. How can you not think he is the best character?" She was not letting this go.

"But the hero is always the best character. Westley saves the girl and still loves her even after all that time apart. His actions alone surpass Montoya's measly line," I countered with. She looked at me with disbelief for a minute before I caved and asked. "What? I'm a romantic, sue me!" She just started laughing.

"Ok, you win. And I like the fact that you are a romantic guy." Score a point for me, she likes that I'm a romantic.

"Well, if you like that I'm a romantic let me romance you. Are you off tomorrow? Would you want to go to dinner with me?" Shit, where did that courage come from.

"Uh, yeah, I'd really like that." WooHoo. I've got a date with Bella. She ended up cooking dinner too, but we kept it simple with burgers and fries. Well I thought she was keeping it simple, she ended up making black bean burgers and homemade fries. I stayed at Bella's again that night. We didn't repeat our previous night activities, we just laid cuddled together in her bed. When I had suggested I head back over to my own apartment she pouted and asked me to stay again. I was hoping that was a good sign of how things were going to go.

Our date the next night was amazing. We were able to get reservations at Crow Restaurant and Bar; I wanted to take her someplace nice. We had an enjoyable dinner with lots of easy conversation. We just seemed to click. We ended up back at my apartment that night. Bella stayed, even though she worked the early shift the next day; it wasn't like she had far to go to get changed. When I got home that next afternoon, Bella was walking in at the same time. She asked if I wanted to come over for dinner again. I told her I was just going to go shower and I'd be right over. When I knocked a half hour later she answered the door in a very cute apron, a bra, and boy short panties. She was baking as well as cooking dinner and figured I'd enjoy the view. She was making cookies and muffins of every kind. She mixed up the muffin batters and put them in the fridge, saying she'd bake them the next morning so they were still warm. The cookies she baked after we ate our dinner. I helped get the cookie dough on the trays for the oven. I had never enjoyed cooking before, seeing it as a necessity and not something I wanted to do. Being in the kitchen with Bella was a really good time. When the last batch of cookies was out of the oven, and it was turned off, she pulled me to her bedroom and then into her master bathroom since I was covered in flour. After our shower fun, I fell asleep in Bella's bed with her in my arms again. I could get used to this. I awoke to empty arms, but the smell of fresh baked muffins. I grabbed a few apple cinnamon ones and kissed Bella goodbye before I headed for my own apartment to get ready for work. Today is going to be a good day!

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So I was generous to all of you, now be generous right back. Fill my in-box with reviews, they are all I want this Christmas!!!

To all my readers, Have a Merry Christmas (or Hanukkah or Kwanzaa) and a very Happy 2010!!!!


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Wow, I can not apologize enough. After the holidays got very crazy, then my computer got very very sick. Some nasty virus decided to eat it. I just got it back (thank god for friends that know computers and can repair them free of charge!!!!), and thankfully all of my files are still on it. Ok, I just got everything backed up onto an external hard-drive, so hopefully no more issues!

So if you are not interested in my excuses. Here is chapter 8...some trouble in paradise.

Thanks to my "beta", paige. Your support means the world to me!!!!

I don't own anything but the plot.

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**Chapter 8-I Just Want to be Mad for Awhile**

_Thinking about me and you  
And I've got to tell you  
The conclusion I've come to  
I'll never leave, I'll never stray  
My love for you will never change  
But I ain't ready to make up or get around to that  
I think I'm right I think your wrong  
I'll probably give in before long  
Please don't make me smile  
I just want to be mad for awhile  
For now you might as well forget it  
Don't run your fingers through my hair  
Yeah that's right I'm being stubborn_

_I Just Want to be Mad for Awhile by Terri Clark_

**EmPOV**

I was having a good day. It was a couple days after the slammin' party that Alice had thrown, and I was still riding high from that. Plus, the pregnancy hormones racing through my Rosie turned her into even more of a nymphomaniac then she was before. I was reaping all the benefits of her increased sex drive. As I left my house I got a call from my sister, asking me to swing by her place and pick up some cookies and muffins she had made. This day just kept getting better. She gave me two big containers to take with me to the station. There were five different types of cookies and three different fruit muffins; the guys were gonna love me. These would definitely go a long way to help get me off the shit-list for that little shower mishap. It was supposed to be a prank on the newbie at our station, Edward. The guy was ok, I'd met him at the party Alice had planned for him, but he was new to our station, he had to be properly hazed. I put powdered blue dye in the shower head. Unfortunately, before Eddie got in there, the Chief hopped in for a shower. He turned the water on before I could stop him. He looked like a smurf for three days. The chief may have been pissed, but Eddie loved the stunt, and even gave me a few ideas of things we could do to the next batch of rookies we got. I didn't know what had my sister in such a good mood (she only baked like this when she was extremely happy about something), but I wasn't going to complain.

I walked into the station and went right up to our dining table. I opened the containers. Damn, Bells; these things were still warm. The smell quickly started spreading and the guys swarmed me like bees to honey.

"Em, are these Bella's lovely creations?" Jasper asked me. I nodded. He turned towards Edward. "You are going to love living next to Bella if she's back in a baking mood again. These things are the best, especially the apple cinnamon muffins."

"Well, they smell delicious. I'm sure they taste just as good." Edward seemed to be forcing that response a bit, and holding something back. I'll have to keep my eye on him.

"You seem like you're in an especially good mood today, Edward," Jasper commented. I had to admit, Eddie had the first shit-eating grin that I'd seen him wear since he got here. "Wait, I know that look. You got laid. Who's the girl, Edward? I don't want to sound like a girl, but I didn't realize you had started seeing someone here in Seattle, Alice didn't say anything."

"Well, uh, that's because Alice doesn't, um, know yet. And technically I'm not dating her, we haven't talked specifics yet." I was getting a really bad feeling about this, when the hell did Alice start rubbing off on me?

"Well, who the hell is it? Did you meet her at your party the other night?" I ground out. I was getting impatient; I wanted man detail, not this pussy girl shit.

"I had met her previously, but yeah, she was at the party."

"Ok, well fuckin' spill, dude. Stop being a pussy. What's she look like? What's her name? Give us something here." I hated when people beat around the bush.

"She's my neighbor. She's beautiful, gorgeous really. Long, chestnut hair and the biggest brown eyes-" Edward started explaining but Jasper cut him off.

"Ok, we get the picture. I'm happy for you." Why the fuck did Jasper cut him off, he was just starting to tell us what this girl looked like.

"So, she's your neighbor?" He nodded. "Well, where do you live? At least give me a first name, I knew a good amount of the people that were at that party. Even though she sounds bangin' maybe she's an idiot. You're too smart of a guy to be paired with a ditz."

"I live in the Neptune building-" Now I cut him off. Wait, the Neptune? No, it couldn't be, could it? Chestnut hair, brown eyes; they were common, right?

"I swear on my dad's grave, Eddie, that if the name that was about to come out of your mouth was Bella, you are a dead man?" His mouth fell open and I had my fucking answer. I lunged for him. "You piece of shit! You slept with my sister? What the fuck?" I had to hand it to him, the little shit was fast.

"Shit! Em, I'm sorry. I didn't realize Bella was your sister. I never learned your last name here at the station at all, and Alice didn't say it the other night either." He was groveling, but I didn't care

"Stay away from her. I don't want you near my sister. Do you understand me? She's been through a lot and I won't see her hurt again. You're no good for her."

"Emmett, I'm sorry, but I can't. I really like her and I will not keep my distance. And how do you know I'm no good for her? You don't even know me." That little fucker! I was standing right in front of him now, so I did the only thing I could think to do. I punched him, and damn, did it feel good when that asshole hit the floor.

**EPOV**

When I opened my eyes I was staring at the ceiling of the dining area of the station. What happened? I began to sit up, but when the pain in my face started I remembered why I was on the floor. Emmett, the Bear as he is affectionately known around the station, punched me. Shit, that really hurts.

"Edward, you ok?" Jasper was squatting next to me, looking concerned. As I looked around I saw Emmett standing with his arms crossed and a smug smile on his face. I reached up for my nose to check for bleeding, but thankfully there wasn't any. He must have caught me between the eye and nose.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Nothing a couple of aspirin won't help." Jasper nodded, stood, and offered me his hand. Once I was on my feet I looked over at Emmett. "We need to talk," I said. He shrugged, but turned and headed for the door. I was right behind him. Once we were outside we walked down the block a bit to prevent snooping; sometimes firemen are worse gossips than old women.

"You wanted to talk, so talk," Emmett stated rather bluntly.

"To a point I understand why you punched me, but there is another part of me that does not understand it one bit. No offense Emmett, but we haven't really gotten to know each other well yet, so how can you say I am no good for Bella." When he tried to start talking I held up my hand, "Let me finish." He made a motion for me to continue. "I like her Emmett. I have never felt this connection with anyone else before. And, not to sound conceded, but I know she likes me too. So, why, other than the fact that I slept with your sister would you punch me in the face after saying I was no good for her?"

"Edward, I'm going to counter with my own question. Does Bella know where you work?" I looked at him rather perplexed. So he continued, "Does she know that you are a firefighter?" I shook my head.

"No, she doesn't. She knows I run some shifts with Medic One because we've ridden in to work together. But no, she doesn't know that I am also a firefighter at the same station as you and Jasper."

"I figured as much."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean, Emmett?" He just started shaking his head and mumbling. He turned his back on me for a minute.

"You need to talk to Bella, get to know her," he said as he turned and walked back inside. Jazz came out a few minutes later.

Well, shit. What was I going to do now? I knew we needed to talk and get to know each other better, but I figured that would come out as we dated more.

"Seriously, Edward, you need to tell her you work here," Jazz said, staring me down.

"What is the big deal? There's something the two of you aren't telling me. Do I have to be worried, Jazz?" I was getting worried now. If Jazz was insistent on me talking to Bella there was a reason.

"Edward, it's not my place to tell. Just talk to her."

"Ok, I'll talk to her tonight." I was worried, and in an unlucky turn of events we had a slow day. This meant I had all day to worry. By the time I left the station that afternoon I was a wreck. I got home, showered, and walked next door. I knocked once and the door flew open. I couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm.

"I was hoping it was you. I missed you today," she said so sweetly. She finally got a good look at me. She reached up to touch my cheek, I leaned into her hand. "Edward, what happened?"

"Well, I became rather well acquainted with your brother's fist this morning." I heard her gasp. "Yeah, um, and you'll probably get a call from the pixie shortly. I'm sure Jazz went home and spilled the beans about us.

"Wait, when and where did you see my brother and Jazz? And how did a discussion about 'us' come up?" She asked, gesturing between the two of us.

"Can I come in and we'll talk?" She looked at me closely before nodding. She moved back inside and I followed her, closing the door behind me.

"Tell me everything," she stated rather bluntly.

So I told her the events that had unfolded this morning. My very happy face, the muffins, admitting that I was seeing her, the punch; everything.

"Wait, I still don't understand. Did you run into Jazz and Em when they were leaving here for work? I know they car pool sometimes." I shook my head. "Then where?"

"At the station, Bella. I work with them." She just stared open mouthed at me. After a couple of minutes she began shaking her head from side to side and muttering 'no, no, no' over and over again. She stopped suddenly.

"Get out," she said more calmly than I would have imagined.

"Bella, what's wrong? Talk to me." I was confused, she had been so happy to see me.

"I said, Get Out! I don't want to talk, Edward. I've learned all I have to about you now, and I have no desire to see you again. So please, just go." What?!?!? She doesn't want to see me again? But why?

"Bella, please-" I started before she cut me off.

"Go! Leave! I don't want to see you anymore." She was starting to cry, and all I wanted to do was take her in my arms and make it all better. I knew that wouldn't be received well right now. So I left. As I reached the door I heard her sobs get louder, and it damn near killed me as I left the woman that had quickly become the most important person in my life.

**BPOV**

I still couldn't believe it. He was a firefighter. The best guy I had met in a long time was one of them. I heard the New Kids on the Block start playing from in front of me. Perfect timing, pixie. I picked up my phone and answered by laying right into her.

"Why, Alice? Why wouldn't you tell me? Why would you keep this from me?"

"Whoa, back up here. What didn't I tell you? And why are you asking me the same questions I should be asking you, missy?"

"Alice, you know I don't go after men like Edward. Why wouldn't you tell me where he works? You saw what was happening between us, why wouldn't you tell me he works for the fire department? And I didn't call you about Edward and I getting together because it was still so new. I wanted to see where it would go. You don't have to worry about it now, because everything between us is finished. I don't want to see him again." I managed to get it all out before I started sobbing again.

"Bella, are you in your apartment?" I managed a small noise of affirmation. "Ok, I'm on my way down. Then we'll talk." True to her word she walked in my front door not a minute later. "Come here, hon." She pulled me into a hug and I sobbed on her shoulder until I settled down. When my sobs turned into hiccups, Alice got up, got me a bottle of water from my fridge, and sat next to me again. She handed me the box of tissues from my end table. I was wiping off my face and blowing my nose when she started. "Bella, do you remember what you promised me when we were in college?" Um, which time? I promised her a lot over the years.

"Not really, Ali. What did I promise you?" I'll admit I was a bit afraid of what was coming.

"You went on that date with the guy that Tyler had introduced you to. He turned out to be a Marine and you found some stupid reason to not see him anymore. You promised me that you wouldn't run from a guy because he risked his live in his job. You promised you'd give the guy a chance. I'll admit I didn't tell you, but that's because I figured you two had already discussed it and you were ok with it. Now tell me what has been going on with you and my cousin."

So I told her everything. I started with the day we drove to work together and went through to just before she called me.

"Damn! Not that I enjoy hearing about my cousin's sex life, but you have something special there, B."

"Really?"

"Really. Now, go clean yourself up and march your butt next door and talk to that man. Tell him why you acted the way you did, I think he'll understand, and I think you also need to hear what made him turn to the profession he chose." I just couldn't confront him, it was all too fresh. Alice for once understood. I took a few days to figure out what I would say. Alice didn't let me think for long though. Two days later she was at my door dragging me next door. She pushed me until my nose was against the door. She started walking for the stairs. I lifted my hand to knock, but stopped, afraid to talk to him.

"If you don't knock soon, B, I'm going to come do it myself." I lifted my hand and knocked and Alice headed back up to her apartment. After a minute of the door not opening I knocked again. Still no answer, so I knocked louder. That was when I heard him.

"Dammit, give me a minute, I'm coming." He opened the door pretty disgruntled. "What?" He hissed without looking up. When he did I just wanted to start crying, he looked horrible. "Bella?" He questioned, his voice breaking with emotion.

"Can I come in? We need to talk," I asked timidly. He nodded. I stepped around him and walked into the living room. I heard him shut the door and follow me. I sat on the couch and he sat in the arm chair that was across from me.

"What do you want, Bella?" He was going for the asshole approach. Not that I could blame him.

"I wanted to apologize for the other day. I owe you an explanation…" I trailed off, not able to keep going. My emotions were going to get the best of me. I sat there, tears streaming down my face. I looked at Edward and I could see he had a death grip on the arms of the chair; I guess to make sure he didn't come comfort me.

I told him everything. What happened to my dad, what I watched my mom go through, and my pledge to myself never to let myself get in that situation by staying away from those that risk their lives. His face reflected the shock I knew he was feeling.

"Edward, I really like you. Alice reminded me of a promise I made her a few years ago. I told her I would not run from a relationship just because of the guy's profession. I want to give us a chance. Edward, I need you to forgive me, but I also need to know something. Alice told me to ask you why you decided to become a firefighter. I need to know why you chose this profession, Edward." Let him forgive me. I need this man, more than I've ever needed anyone before. He opened his mouth to answer me and I held my breath.

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A/N: So how much do ya'll want to kill me right now? HaHaHaHaHaHaHa. Love you all. Hopefully (baring no more computer problems) I will have the next chapter up within the week, so you won't be waiting long for E's answer...

Now hit that review button!!!


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N**: No you are not seeing things! This is a second update within one week, and Chapter 10 is about half way done...

Thank you to Paige...you keep me motivated!

Phoenix Rising, thank you so much for validating me!!

like always I don't own the characters or the song....just this crazy plot!!

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**Chapter 9- The Heart of the Matter**

_I've been tryin' to get down  
to the heart of the matter  
But my will gets weak  
and my thoughts seem to scatter  
But I think it's about...forgiveness  
Forgiveness  
Even if, even if you don't love me anymore…_

_The Heart of the Matter by Don Henley_

**EPOV**

"_Edward I need you to forgive me."_

Could I forgive her? I really didn't know. She had broken me, completely. I understood why she did it, I really did. But could I forgive her? Who was I kidding, of course I could! I would give this woman anything she asked for.

"_I need to know why you chose this profession."_

She hit a nerve there. My parents. I needed to tell her, everything. She had just poured her heart out to me, telling me about the pain of losing her father.

"Has Alice ever told you why I lived with Carlisle and Esme until I went to college?"

"No, not really. She said your parents were gone, and your aunt and uncle were the guardians named in your parents will."

"That is right. My parents died when I was 13. I was spending the night at a friend's, so my parents went out to dinner. On the way, home my parents' car was hit on the driver's side when a guy went through a red light. My father was killed immediately, or at least they said he was. The car spun after getting hit and the area around my mom's door was damaged by the telephone pole they hit. When the first responders arrived on the scene she was still conscious, talking to them and yelling for my dad. When the fire department arrived, they checked around the car for leaks, somehow they missed the gas leaking out of the tank. They started up the Jaws of Life, and the first spark ignited the gas that had leaked out. They tried to put out the fire, but it reached the tank too quickly. The guys trying to get her out had a moment's notice before the car exploded. Most of them were taken to the hospital with serious burns. My mother burned to death in the car.

No one ever told me exactly what had happened. Carlisle was at the hospital when their bodies were brought in and didn't want me to know how badly things had been for them. I was told they had died in a car accident. Carlisle said they had tried everything they could to save my parents, but there had been no hope. I went to college and started studying so I could go to Med school. I wanted to be a doctor so I could try everything I could to save someone else's loved one. I started working as an EMT to get my foot in the door, and get more experience for school. When I was in college I found out what really happened to my parents. I immediately changed majors and took my firefighter's test my senior year. I still wanted to help people, but I wanted to be the one to get those people out of the dangerous situation. I wanted to be the one to save someone from the fire. I aced my test the first time and was hired by the Portland FD." Bella was crying hard again. I got up and went over to her.

"I forgive you, Bella. We both went through traumatic events, but chose to handle them two different ways. You shied away from danger and I rushed head first into it." She nodded.

"Do you- Do you want to try a relationship? I understand if you don't. I know I hurt you the other day, I could see it on your face-" I had to cut her off.

"Bella, stop rambling. I want this, if you are willing to give me a shot." She nodded her head as more tears fell down her cheeks.

"Please, don't ever tell me your schedule. I would just worry incessantly, and not be able to focus on anything else. Em knows not to tell me about his schedule, and neither him nor Jazz talk about work in front of me. So please don't tell me any stories about work-" She was rambling again, so I stopped her by pulling her close and pressing my mouth to hers. I pulled back and looked at her.

"I get it. Do not discuss work with you. No problem." If that was all it would take to keep this woman with me, then work would get left at the station. Hell, I'll even start showering there so she doesn't smell the smoke on me when I get home.

"I'm really sorry, Edward."

"Please stop apologizing, love. I understand. Let's just move forward. What does your schedule look like? I would love to take my _girlfriend _out to dinner." She giggled. I loved that sound.

"What if I cook you dinner before I head into work instead of us going out, _boyfriend_?" I am going to get so spoiled.

"That sounds perfect. Your place or mine? You know what, it'll have to be yours; I don't think I have much in here to cook. I need to get to the grocery store." She stood up, grabbed my hand, and started for my door. I like a woman ready to take charge. We walked out into the hall to find Alice pacing back and forth.

"About damn time, I've been standing out here trying to hear what was going on. Why was there no yelling or screaming? I didn't hear a damn thing," she grumbled.

"Sorry, Tinker-Hell," _Tinker-hell, this woman is great! "_We were civilized adults about it all. Now, if you don't mind getting out of my way, best friend, I want to cook my boyfriend dinner before….Shit!" She realized her mistake before she finished the sentence. I started counting down, 3-2-1, queue pixie explosion! She started jumping up and down, and talking a mile a minute.

"Ohmygodyousaidboyfriend. ? Ofcourseyouare, Ijustknewyou'd beperfecttogether!" I didn't know if what she said was words or not. I didn't understand any of it.

"Alice, go away. I'll talk to you tomorrow." I stared, open mouthed, as Alice said ok and danced over to the elevator. I watched as she pressed the call button, the door opened, and she bounced inside. She waved as the door closed.

"How the hell did you do that?" I was stunned. "Alice never gives up that easily." She just smirked at me.

"She has learned when to fight with me, and when to wait to fight with me. This is one of those times she has decided to wait. So, I didn't do anything, she'll just be in attack mode tomorrow. Can I hide in your apartment after work tonight?" She was asking if she could come home to me. Hell Yeah!

"Of course you can! But I'm sure that will be the first place she looks for you," I said.

"Yes, but does she have a key to your apartment?" I shook my head no. "Then I'll be safe. You wouldn't ever let her get me." I shook my head again.

"I can't protect you from her forever, though. You will need to talk to her at some point." We had walked into her apartment by this time. She kept moving towards the kitchen, pulling me along behind her.

"I know, but I'll be able to handle her if I can get a few hours sleep after my shift. So, what do you want for dinner?" We decided to make a quick chicken stir-fry with a mix of veggies. It was so good, and I was amazed at how fast she threw it together. I had to convince this woman to cook for me every night.

Shortly after dinner Bella went to her room and came back out in a set of scrubs. She left for work and I went back to my apartment. She kissed me deeply and reminded me she'd be knocking on my door in the early morning.

I got no sleep that night at all. Having to tell Bella about my parents caused my nightmares to come back. Every time I closed my eyes I saw bits of the accident. By 3am I knew it was hopeless. I got out of bed and called into the chief. He knew about the accident, actually having been a part of the second wave of firefighters to get to the scene. As soon as I mentioned what was up he told me to take the day off. With another 4 hours to go until Bella was here I decided to hit the grocery store and then clean my apartment. Just before 7 I started making a breakfast of French toast and sausage, knowing Bella would be hungry. About five minutes after the hour I heard a knock on my door.

**BPOV**

I knocked loudly on the door. It swung open second after I stopped knocking. Edward stood in front of me, beaming. I was sure his smile could light up downtown if given the opportunity. As I stepped into the apartment I was assaulted by the most wonderful smell.

"Do I smell French toast?" He nodded, causing my stomach to growl in response.

"Let's eat, love. I thought you might be hungry; I had the scanner on earlier and heard a lot of calls going through. I figured you didn't get any chance to eat at all." This guy was too good to be true. The French toast was really good.

"So, what else can you cook? Because I might make you cook for me more often if this is what I get."

"This is about the extent of my cooking expertise. I can do some mean breakfast foods: eggs, pancakes, toast, bacon, sausage. I also make a rather exceptional grilled cheese; but that's it. I've been eating frozen meals and take out since I stopped visiting the cafeteria on campus while in school. I never really learned how to cook, and Tan-" he stopped talking and got a pained expression on his face. Then he looked at his hands in his lap.

"Edward?" I asked. He looked up at me, "What were you going to say?"

"I don't want to ruin our breakfast." I figured out who he was going to mention.

"Is Tan the reason you moved back to Seattle?" His head jerked up again at my words. "Edward, we were both with other people in the past. Usually I don't have the exes conversation this early in the relationship, but I think we have to. She's your ex, right?" He nodded. "Let me guess, she didn't cook?" He shook his head.

"No, she didn't. Tanya wasn't really the domestic type. She didn't like cooking or cleaning. Um, I found her in our bed with another guy right before I moved home. The worst part was I had picked up an engagement ring for her the previous day." What a bitch! This wonderful man loved her enough that he was going to propose and she cheated on him. Wow, we are more alike than I realized.

"I'm so sorry, Edward; but I understand what you went through. James and I were living together next door. I found him in our bed with some tramp riding him like a bucking bronco. I kicked him out that very minute. I haven't seen him since the morning after, when he picked up all his stuff." I didn't want to go into the entire James story today.

"Bella, Alice said something about you being hurt more than emotionally, what was she talking about?" Damn, pixie, interfering when she isn't even in the room. Guess I am going into all of it now.

"I'm going to explain, but please just let me get through it all before you say anything. James and I met at a club my junior year of college. We danced; he asked for my number, I gave it to him. He asked me out the following week. We went to dinner and were together for the next three years. There were little things over the years that should have alerted me to his true self, but I guess I was blind to them. The night of our third anniversary, this past spring, he beat me for the first time. I had been almost positive he was going to propose. For some reason I was more upset that he hadn't proposed than I was that he had hit me. He had had a lot to drink that night and I figured that was the reason for his actions, he had always been a mean drunk. He also basically raped me that night." I saw Edward's eyes get huge, but he didn't say anything.

"After he passed out I went to the guest room and cried myself to sleep. He apologized profusely the next morning, and like a fool, I accepted the apology. I started working a lot of double and triple shifts, or working nights so I didn't have to see him often. Because we weren't seeing each other much things were great. In August I finally took a weekend off. I had Emmett, Rose, Alice, and Jasper over. We played some games, ate, and drank. It was a great time, like nothing had happened between James and me. He drank heavily again that night. After everyone left I went to change and go to bed, leaving the dishes in the sink for morning. He screamed at me to come clean everything up. I tried to get away from him; he lunged for me catching my ankle. I tripped and fell hard onto my wrist. I knew immediately it was broken. He hit and kicked me, saying I needed to listen to him. Then he grabbed his keys and went to the bar. I called Alice to come take me to the hospital. I made up a story about how I got hurt and she believed it since I am a klutz. When we got back from the hospital is when I found James. I realized then that our relationship was never what I thought it was. He was using me to keep his family happy, I doubted he ever would have married me. His step-father is a very wealthy man, and bringing home someone like the slut he had been fucking that night, would have been unacceptable. I figured he had gotten sick of me just before our anniversary, but was keeping it up because I kept him in Joe's good graces, which meant money. I threw him out and told Alice everything. We packed up all his stuff and I left it in the hall for him. I texted him to come get it, when he got here he threatened me through the door. No one knows about that, Edward. So please don't tell them. I haven't seen him since then so I think it was just meant to scare me." At least that was what I hoped.

"Baby, come here," Edward said, pulling me closer to him on the couch. We had moved to the living room before I started my story. "God, I don't get how someone could do that to you. You are beautiful, inside and out. I promise, he will get nowhere near you now. I will protect you." I started sobbing. I knew he would do just that, I just hoped it wouldn't get him hurt in the process. I wasn't sure what James was capable of, and that is what scared me more than anything. I was able to pull myself together in the safety of his arms. I looked at the clock and realized that we had been talking for over an hour.

"Oh my god, Edward, don't you have to get to work?" If he was late because of me I'd never forgive myself.

"No, I didn't get much sleep last night, so I talked to the chief this morning and he told me to take the day off." He must have some sort of pull, I know Em and Jazz never got off that easy.

"Um, ok," I yawned loudly.

"Let's get you to bed sweet girl. You need to be well rested if you're going to deal with Alice today!" I forgot about that with everything we had discussed. Edward stood and reached for my hand, pulling me from the couch. He led the way to his room, where we both stripped to our underwear and crawled into bed. I heard his breathing even out shortly after he pulled me close. I felt warm and safe in his arms, and hoped I could always be here.

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**A/N: **So, everyone happy they made up and are a couple?

Hope everyone is ready for Alice next chapter!!

Review, Review, Review!!!


	10. Chapter 10

Sorry for the slight delay...I had half of this chapter written and loved it. Wrote the second half, and hated it. I rewrote the second half 3 times until it sounded right. So y'all better enjoy it!!!!!

Thanks to all my girls for their support, especially my "beta" Paige!!

SM's characters, MY PLOT, Don't Touch, or I'll have to hunt you down and beat you!!!

Blue Oyster Cult gives us this chapters song!!!

ENJOY!!!!!

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**Chapter 10- Don't Fear the Reaper**

_Come on baby  
(Don't fear the Reaper)  
Baby take my hand  
(Don't fear the Reaper)  
We'll be able to fly  
(Don't fear the Reaper)  
Baby I'm your man_

_~Don't Fear the Reaper by Blue Oyster Cult_

**APOV**

"Rose, pick up the damn phone! I know you're there. Pick. Up. The. Phone. Rosalie!" I had been trying to get her on the phone since I had left Bella and Edward downstairs last night.

"What the fuck do you want, Alice? Can't a pregnant woman puke in piece?" My soon-to-be sister-in-law had been dealing with the worst morning sickness. My niece (or nephew, although I'm pretty damn sure it is a she) was not being nice to her momma.

"Sorry! Rope in the emotions, Rose." I heard her start growling at me. "Kidding, sorry. Have you talked to your sister-in-law recently?"

"No, why?" Sweet, I'd finally get to tell someone who didn't know. Don't ask me how, but both Em and my Jazzy knew about Edward and Bella before I did, it's a freakin crime!

"Well, our sweet girl has started seeing someone," wait for it, wait for it…queue psycho pregnant woman.

"Alice Cullen, tell me everything! Immediately! Chop, chop, why aren't you speaking?" I couldn't help but start laughing.

"Oh, so now you want to talk to me?"

"Mary-Alice, spill your guts now! Don't think just cause I'm pregnant I won't take you out. Cause I will."

"Ok, Ok. Yes, our dear Bella is dating my cousin. My firefighting cousin." I heard Rose gasp. I knew she would have that reaction. "Apparently, when they left his party the other week they went back to her apartment and humped like rabbits. She didn't know his chosen profession at the time. She freaked when she found out, of course. After ignoring him for a few days I made her go talk to him. Last night she did. I waited outside in the hall, thinking I would hear yelling. There was nothing, and after what seemed like an eternity they came out, hand in hand, headed for her apartment. She accidentally slipped and said she wanted to make her "boyfriend" dinner before work. I am attacking her for more information in," I looked at my watch, "Shit, now! She should be home from work. I'll call you when I know more, Rose. Bye!" I hung up and headed for the hall.

I ran downstairs to Bella and Edward's floor. When I went to open her door and it was locked I realized I left my keys upstairs. I ran back up, grabbed the keys, and was standing in front of her door again in a matter of seconds. I opened the door and walked inside calling for my best friend. She didn't answer. I proceeded to search the apartment; she was nowhere to be found. I figured she just wasn't home yet. I looked at the clock, 7:30am; I decided to wait for her. I took up residence on her couch and turned on the TV. At 3:45pm I heard the door knob rattling. I got up and reached the hallway just as a giggling Bella and Edward came through the door.

"See, I told you she would be here waiting for me." I heard Bella tell Edward as she motioned towards me with her arm.

**BPOV**

I woke up sometime around 3pm, still in Edward's arms. We had shifted slightly in our sleep, with my back spooned to Edward's front. I realized then what had woke me up. Edward's erection was pressing firmly into my backside. I wiggled my hips a little, which elicited a small moan to escape his lips before his arms closed tighter around me.

I decided to give him a wakeup call like I had the other morning, just slightly different. I was able to free myself from his arms. I pushed his one shoulder, causing him to lie flat on his back. His erection was sticking straight up to the ceiling. I knew I was already wet for him; it seemed I always was when I was in his presence. I climbed over his lap, straddling his waist. I leaned forward and started kissing his jaw, working my way to his mouth. When I got there I gave him one chaste kiss on the lips before sitting up. I rose up a bit, grabbing his erection and aligning him with my dripping core. I slowly lowered my body, impaling myself on his hard length. He groaned but didn't wake up. So I started rolling and then rocking my hips. He continued to moan, and his breath picked up, but still he didn't wake. I started riding him harder, working myself towards my own orgasm. I grabbed his hands and placed them on my breasts. He immediately began kneading them. I leaned forward and started kissing him in earnest, hoping that would wake him up. Just as I felt my orgasm rip through me Edward's eyes opened. He moved his hands to my hips, gripping me firmly as he thrust harder into me. I felt another orgasm building. Edward still hadn't said anything, he released one of my hips and moved his hands to where we were joined. As he rubbed my clit I reached my second orgasm of the morning. As my walls clenched around him I felt one final thrust before Edward stilled, pouring into me. I collapsed on top of him.

"Holy shit," I finally said, once I caught my breath.

"Good morning to me. You know I could get used to being woken up like this by you!" He was smiling while he told me that. Did that mean he felt the same for me as I felt for him? I could only hope. I could definitely see myself with this man for the rest of my life. _What the hell are you saying, Isabella? You just started dating this guy; don't you think it's a bit early to talk about forever?_ No I don't, but I do think it is too early to tell him that; so I'll keep my mouth shut. _Good!_

"Actually, its afternoon, Edward. We really should get up. I'm sure Alice is sitting in my apartment, impatiently waiting to get all the dirt on what is going on between us?"

"I'm sure my cousin has much better things to be doing with her time then sitting in your apartment so she can gossip." Who is he kidding?

"Are you sure we are talking about the same Mary Alice Cullen? Your cousin? The Pixie Stick on speed?" He started laughing but nodded his head. "You are completely deluded if you think she hasn't been waiting for me since early this morning. I'm sure if she knew you had stayed home today she would have been banging on this door until we opened it." I saw him cringe at the thought. "Exactly! So let's get up and go face the demon spawn known as my best friend." He finally agreed. We dressed quickly, and in separate rooms, to avoid ending up back in bed until early evening.

We made our way next door. As I was putting my key in the lock Edward decided to lean forward and start kissing my neck and running his hands up my sides. It was very distracting and I was having difficulties getting the door open. He started teasing me and we were both giggling as we pushed the door open. As I looked up I saw a very pissed Alice standing in my hallway, hands on her hips.

"See, I told you she'd be here waiting for me," I said looking right at Edward while I gestured to Alice. He immediately stopped laughing when he saw his cousin. Without another word he turned and tried to slip out the open door back to the sanctuary of his apartment.

"Not so fast, Edward Anthony Masen," Alice's voice stopped him dead in his tracks. "Couch, now!" Edward turned back around and I grabbed his hand as we walked to the couch in my living room. We sat down, still clutching the others hand. Alice was taking her time coming back into the room. I took the small opportunity to lean in and whisper to Edward.

"United front, babe. We show her a united front." He nodded just as Alice appeared in front of us. She sat on my coffee table and stared us down.

"First, Isabella," shit, she was using my full name. This did not bode well. "Where the fuck were you all day? And Edward, it is 4pm, on one of your scheduled days, shouldn't you be at the station with Jazz right now?" We looked at each other, then back at Alice. "One of you better answer me!"

"You're right, Ali. I should be at work right now. I was given a personal day after a lengthy discussion with the chief this morning." She just glared at him. "My nightmares came back last night," he said so softly I barely heard it sitting right next to him. It must have been loud enough for Alice to hear, because her face softened. That was until she turned to look at me.

"I was next door," I said softly. I don't know what it was but at this moment my best friend was making me feel like a child being punished.

"You hid from me?" I nodded. "Why?"

"So I could get some sleep before dealing with you." Her gaze locked on me again, but it didn't seem so harsh anymore.

"Why?" We both looked at her confused. "Why didn't either of you tell me? Why did I have to find out from Jasper and Emmett? You," she pointed at Edward, "are my cousin. And you," she said pointing at me, "are my best friend. I should not have found out the two of you were seeing each other from my fiancée and his friend. So I ask again, why was I the last to know?"

"Well technically you aren't the last to know. There are still a few other people still in the dark. Like Rose, your parents, and my mother." That earned me another glare, so I quickly continued. "And to answer your question, we wanted to see where it was going before letting anyone else know. The only reason that Em and Jazz found out is because Edward works with them, and you know as well as I do that those two are the biggest gossip whores around." Thankfully she laughed at that.

"So, Isabella, you are giving Edward a chance, even though he is a hated profession?" I nodded.

"Yes, Short Stuff. We are going to give 'us' a go. We discussed a lot last night, and came to an understanding. I just won't tell her my schedule at all." Alice nodded, then stood and started to pace back and forth. Suddenly she stopped, looked at the two of us. I saw her eyes land on our joined hands. He face lit up with a huge smile. I noticed her start vibrating before she lunged for us.

"IAMSOHAPPYFORTHETWOOFYOU!!!" _Was that even English?_

"Calm down Tinker-hell. I don't speak over-enthused pixie," I said, causing Alice to release us and sit back again.

"Tinker-hell? That's new, and I won't even complain because I actually like it. What I said was I'm so happy for the two of you. You definitely both deserve to be happy. I just knew you'd be perfect together!"

Alice demanded details. We gave her some, before finally shooing her out the door. I made a quick dinner and got ready for work. Edward wasn't in my living room where I had left him. So I grabbed my coat and purse before heading into the hall, pulling my locked door closed behind me. Edward was standing in the hall in his Medic One uniform. He hadn't told me he was on tonight, but I was glad he was. He grabbed my hand and we headed for the garage.

We took his car again, stopping at Starbucks on the way to the hospital. We parked and headed for the ER hand in hand. As we reached the nurses' station, I felt all eyes on us. Edward released my hand, and grabbed the back of my neck, pulling me close for a kiss.

"I'll see you later, baby," he said as he walked to the door that led to the Medic One area. As I took a seat behind the nurse's station I saw Angela staring at me open mouthed, and heard the whispered comments from the other staff members lurking nearby. I couldn't help but smile. It felt good to let everyone know that Edward was mine.

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A/N: I had to let all you know FF(dot)net-ers, Twilighted is kicking your ass with reviews for this story, you're about 10 behind right now. So all of you readers who have favorited and story alerted this story but aren't reviewing (and I know there are a F-in TON of you), come out of the wood work and show the love!!!! If reviews for this chapter double what i've gotten on previous chapters, I promise to get the next chapter "Valentine's Day" out by next Sun (which is V-day), do we have a deal? Ok...so hit that button below!!!!!


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: I'm keeping my promise (even though there weren't that many reviews this past chapter...)...I had some extra time to write this past week because I was snowed in for 2 days...18+ inches of snow at my house in PA, so I wrote and shoveled!  
**

**Thanks as always to Paige (wndrngy), my "beta" extraordinaire...seriously you all need to go read her stories Something Stupid and Never Sleep in a Strange Man's Bed!!!!**

**Thanks to Jadsmama...who cheered me up when writing this chapter, and who was a loyal reader/reviewer since before I posted this story :)**

**Thank you to all those reading and reviewing, I appreciate it!!!!  
**

**I don't own the characters (they are SM's) and i don't own the song (that's Outkast)....I do own the plot, so back up off it!!**

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Chapter 11-Happy Valentine's Day

_My name is Cupid Valentino,  
the modern day cupid.  
I just want to say one thing.  
Happy Valentine's Day!  
Every day the 14th!  
I don't think ya'll heard me?  
I just wanna say Happy Valentine's Day!  
Every day the 14th!  
Can ya'll dig that?  
Now when arrows don't penetrate,  
Cupid grabs the pistol,  
He shoots straight for your heart,  
And he won't miss you.  
That's alright ya'll won't believe in me anyway but,  
Ya won't believe in me but you would fancy leprechauns or ground hogs,  
No thank you, Easter Bunny!  
There's all this talk about Santa Claus, but see love will rule supreme.  
Happy Valentine's Day!  
Every day the 14th!  
When cupid knocks at your door,  
You can't ignore me (there's no need to run)  
Happy Valentine's Day!  
Every day the 14th!  
_

_Happy Valentine's Day by Outkast_

**BPOV**

I was yet again in Alice's boutique trying on another batch of dresses for Valentine's Day. I was being kept completely in the dark when it came to what was planned for that night. Edward wasn't telling anyone. The only person who knew was Alice, and that was because he needed her help in dressing me. Alice was keeping it under wraps by having me try on an eclectic range of dresses. Short, long, formal, casual; I was trying them all on.

"Alice, couldn't you have just let me try on the dress that I know you already have picked out? I highly doubt that the type of dress is going to give me any clue as to where Edward is taking me."

"I know, but I like playing Bella Barbie, it's fun!"

"Maybe for you," I said under my breath. I took off the latest dress she had me in, which was a full length pink monstrosity that even Alice admitted made me look paler than I already was.

"Ok, we're done. You are released, BFF." I quickly put my jeans and sweatshirt back on and waved a quick goodbye to Alice before running for the door. I was giving her no chance of pulling me back into that dressing room. As I got in my car I thought about how things between Edward and I had been over the past few weeks and smiled. They had been wonderful. We slowed things down a bit, not sleeping together every night, which helped me not knowing his schedule. I knew he worked a rotating schedule of 4 days, 4 off, 4 mid-shifts, 4 off, 4 nights, 4 off, then repeat. He would ask me for my schedule and plan our dates accordingly. The days I loved the most were those that he ran with Medic One, because we got to go into work together, because I got to see the jealous looks of my single, female, co-workers. Without realizing it I had reached the parking garage for the apartments. I quickly found a space and ran for my apartment.

As I reached our floor I heard music coming from Edward's apartment, so I knew he was home. I rushed into my apartment so I could shower before he came over for dinner. We had taken to eating together if both of us were home. If it was breakfast Edward cooked, dinner was mine. I threw together an easy casserole and shoved it in the oven before making my way to the shower. I was just finishing up drying my hair when I heard a knock on my door before it opened and I heard Edward's sexy voice yell out, "Babe".

"In the bathroom, I'll be out shortly," I yelled back. I knew he wouldn't come in. We hadn't had sex since the day we told Alice about us. We had a long discussion on the way home from work that next morning and agreed to slow down. I heard the buzzer for the oven go off, as I was sliding a shirt over my head. Before I could even yell out to ask Edward to stop it, the buzzing ceased. I walked into the kitchen to see Edward with my oven mitts on pulling the dish out.

"Tuna Noodle?" he asked in a normal tone of voice.

"Yup, hope you're hungry." He was, devouring half of the casserole dish. "So are you going to tell me what we are doing for Valentine's Day?"

"No," he said rather casually. He said nothing else, and I had given up on trying to get info from him. The only other elaboration I had gotten from him was to say that Alice was taking care of everything for me. I was more than a tiny bit scared by that. I must have sighed out loud because a smirk came across Edward's face. "Bella, its four days away, it will be here before you know it."

"But I hate surprises I whined."

"Trust me, you'll like this one."

So I waited the four days. I got home from work on Saturday morning to Edward waiting in front of my door, two overnight bags at his feet and two garment bags across his one arm. I wasn't even allowed inside my apartment. He took my hand, turned me around and we headed for elevator. I was surprised when we walked out the front doors to the building instead of towards the garage. Waiting out front was a limousine with the driver holding the back door open. He reached out a hand and helped me slide inside. I saw Edward hand him the bags, before he slid in next to me.

I heard the trunk close and the driver's door open before the limo started moving. I didn't ask any questions of Edward, just cuddled next to him and enjoyed the soft classical music that was playing. I didn't realize I had fallen asleep until Edward was gently shaking me awake.

"Bella, Beautiful, wake up, were here,"

"Where exactly is here Edward?" I asked rather groggily.

"The Herbfarm." He said nothing else, and in all honesty, I didn't need any other information.

"The Herbfarm?"

He nodded.

"Really?"

He nodded again. I squealed like a little girl. I had wanted to come here for the longest time, but it was very expensive and more a place for couples. They only had one seating a night, making it very hard to get reservations. Their 9 course menu changed daily, and was finalized mere hours before dinner to use what was best from the farm or sea that day. James had never been interested in trying nice restaurants; he wasn't very daring when it came to foods. So we never came here.

"Let's go check in so you can get a nap in before you have to get dressed for dinner."

"We're staying here too?" He nodded again and grabbed my hand. The limo driver had already taken our bags into the reception area. We checked in and were shown to the sweetest little cottage. Once in the room I stripped down to my underwear and crawled into the massive bed. I felt the bed dip with Edward's weight before he pulled me against his chest. I was out like a light.

**EPOV**

Holding Bella while she slept was wonderful. She fit perfectly against me, like we were made just for each other. I hadn't held her like this much recently. We had been trying to take things slow for the last few weeks, feeling we jumped into our relationship a bit too quickly. We had dated over the last few weeks; going out to dinner, movies, walks in the park, even just spent time together watching TV in one of our apartments. We didn't have sleepovers though, and we haven't had sex since the morning Alice confronted us.

I had big plans for this time away. I wanted to wine and dine her like I should have before we had sex. She had mentioned this place once or twice, and Ali told me that she had been talking about this place for the last three years. Ali also told me that her ex had refused to take her here, saying it was too expensive and there would be nothing for him to eat. The place was a bit pricey, close to $200 per person, but from all the reviews I had found about the place it was well worth it. The nine course meal was paired with five to six different wines. I also wanted this to be special for another reason; I planned on telling Bella that I loved her. We hadn't been together long, but I knew the first time I kissed her that she would be it for me. I knew I had been slipping occasionally when talking to her, calling her Love. She hadn't said anything so I wondered if she had even noticed.

She started to become restless in her sleep, and I could hear her murmuring something. I hadn't heard Bella talk in her sleep before. I kissed the top of her head and tightened my arms around her, she settled down, but it also made her murmurings more intelligible.

"Edward," she said, making me wonder if she had woken up. When I looked she was still asleep. "Don't go."

"I'm right here, baby," I whispered to her. "I'm not going anywhere!"

She sighed and her breathing evened out again. I glanced at the clock and decided I could let her sleep about another thirty minutes. That time passed quickly and soon I was shaking her awake. I got in the shower first so she could have free run of the bathroom to get ready. I placed the garment bag Alice had given me with all she would need inside on the back of the bathroom door. Once she was in the shower I started to get ready. Alice had put together a nice suit for me that she said would compliment what Bella was wearing. I tried taming my hair, but that was hopeless. I put all of the clothes on then sat on the bed to put my socks and shoes on. Once dressed I walked over to my overnight bag and got out the velvet jewelry box which I placed in my inside jacket pocket.

I heard the bathroom door open and turned around. Bella looked extraordinary. I don't really know anything about fashion; I do know the dress was black, short, and strapless, with a different colored band at her waist. Bella had a tiny smile on her face.

"Wow," that was all I could say. "You look…amazing!"

"Thanks." She grabbed the wrap that Alice had included since it was February.

Dinner was as amazing as everyone had told us it would be. As each dish was brought out the waiter would explain it to us. Then the waiter would describe the wine that was accompanying that dish and why it paired nicely. Bella and I held hands across the table when we weren't eating. They had a string quartet playing in the room. The music paired with the candles on the tables made the atmosphere extremely romantic. When dessert was brought out I was going to give Bella her gift, but I decided to wait until we were alone. When dinner was finished a few couples got up to dance to the last of the music from the quartet. I looked to Bella and she was watching them dance. I stood and went around the small table. I asked Bella to dance with me, she refused. I knelt down next to her.

"Please, Bella," I pleaded with her.

"Edward, I can't dance, especially in these heels. I don't want to embarrass myself."

"I won't let anything happen to you." I stood and extended my hand again. She reluctantly took it and stood. I led her towards the other couples and pulled her close. She relaxed in my arms when she realized she was safe. We dance to one song and headed back to our room. When we got back to the room she pulled me by my jacket lapels and gave me a passionate kiss.

"Thank you, Edward. This was the perfect Valentine's Day."

"It's not quite over yet," I said rather cockily. "Bella, this evening was to show you how much I care about you. I know we haven't known each other long, but I needed to show you how I felt." I pulled out the velvet box. I knew immediately when her hand came up to cover her mouth in surprise that she thought it was a ring; so I quickly opened it. The necklace glittered in the lights of the room. "Bella, I love you. You have my heart, now, literally and figuratively." The necklace I had gotten her was a silver heart that looked like it had a keyhole in the middle of it, and there was a tiny silver key charm next to the heart.

"I love you, too," she whispered so softly I wasn't sure I heard her. "Thank you, Edward, it's beautiful." She leaned into me a hugged me tight. When she pulled back she wanted to put the necklace on. I took it out of the box and clasped it around her neck. We made love for the first time in weeks. It was slow and tender. After we came at the same time I pulled her close and said those three words again before falling asleep.

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**A/N: So did everyone like their Valentine's Present? It was done just for you!**

**The Herbfarm is a real place just outside of Seattle: www(dot)herbfarm(dot)com**

**Since Edward isn't great with fashion, Bella's Dress: www(dot)rissyroos(dot)com/images/products/alyce-3369(dot)jpg**

**and here is the necklace: www(dot)splendicity(dot)com/styleitless/files/2008/12/under20-sterling-silver-heartkey-necklace(dot)jpg**

**HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY EVERYONE!!!!  
**


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: The only excuse I have for this taking so long, is I am more interested in reading right now instead of writing. I can't help it, the stories I'm currently following are just sucking me in too much.

PSA: I feel this needs to be addressed, if only briefly. For those reading on FF(dot)net all I can say is if this story disappears overnight come find me on Twilighted. There is currently a 'witch hunt' being conducted here on FanFiction. A bunch of readers are reporting stories for violations of the terms of agreement by having too sexually explicit content, issues of a violent nature, drug use, or other dark themes in the story. Personally I am one of those that feel if it is offensive to you hit the back button and go find another story, some of us don't want to just read fluff, we want substance in a story. One of my favorite stories, Clipped Wings and Inked Armor, which recently was completed by hunterhunting was one of the stories taken off of FF. I have heard of others (like Masters of the Universe). As you all know, my story has some dark themes in those first few chapters. Hopefully I won't be targeted, but who knows. Like I said, if you all of a sudden don't see me on here, come find me over at www(dot)twilighted(dot)net.

As always I don't own the characters, just the crazy situations I put them in.

There is no song for this chapter. Why? Because in all honesty nothing major happens in this chapter, it is a bit of a transition chapter. So since nothing happens, no song seemed to fit. If someone can think of one with lyrics that works let me know. I'll add it later (with recognition to the person who suggested it)

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Chapter 12-

March 2009

**BPOV**

I had just worked a triple at the hospital, stealing catnaps when possible. A virus was running rampant among the ER staff; somehow I had avoided it so far. Angela and three other nurses weren't so lucky, so we were all picking up extra shifts to cover. Edward was waiting for me at the end of the shift to take me home. He knew I would be exhausted and in no shape to drive. We got back to the apartments and he was going to go into his when I begged him to sleep with me; needing to feel his arms around me. He was more than happy to comply. We had just climbed into bed, and had barely fallen asleep when we heard a pounding at the door. I felt Edward start to get up.

"Ignore it. Alice, Jazz, Em, and Rose all knew I was working for the last 36 hours; they wouldn't come bother me unless it was important. If it's that important they'll use their keys and come in," I said rather sleepily. A small part of my mind, way in the back, feared it could be James, which was another reason I didn't want Edward to go to the door. The pounding stopped, but started up again a minute or so later. I still didn't hear a voice so there was no way I was getting up.

"Love, whoever it is doesn't seem to be going away," Edward whispered into my ear. "Maybe it's Em and he forgot his key."

"Have you ever known my brother to be quiet? If he wanted to get my attention he'd be yelling for me by now!" The pounding stopped again. This time when it started I heard the voice I hadn't expected at all.

"Bells! I know you're home, I say you're car in the garage. Open the door," Jake yelled. I jumped out of bed, wide awake.

"Love?" Edward questioned me. I just waved him off, throwing on my discarded scrubs. I ran to the front door and threw it open.

"Jake? What's wrong? What are you doing here?" I was worried something happened to my mom, or Billy. But why wouldn't he call me?

"Don't you check your voicemail? I left a message saying I was going to be in Seattle picking up some things for the garage and that I was going to stop by. I haven't heard from you in a couple of months. I wanted to make sure that you weren't here still depressed over throwing out that dickwad!"

"I didn't get your message, Jake. I just got finished working a triple to cover for some of my co-workers who are sick at the moment. And, No, I'm not still depressed. I haven't called because I've been busy."

"Love, who is it?" I heard Edward ask. I turned to see him walk out of my room with his jeans sitting low on his hips and no shirt on. I knew when he noticed the large Quileute standing in my doorway because the smile that had been on his face disappeared.

"Who the hell is that, Bells?" Jake asked. I motioned for Jake to come in as I walked over to Edward. Jake stepped in and closed the door.

"Jake, this is Edward Masen, my boyfriend. Edward, this is Jacob Black, an old friend from Forks." I felt Edward relax next to me.

He extended his hand to Jake.

"Nice to meet you," Edward said. Jake took his hand and shook it, but I could tell from his expression he wasn't happy.

"Are you heading back to Forks today Jake?"

He nodded.

"Well come on in to the living room. You can rest awhile, catch up with me, get to know Edward. Are you hungry? I can make something, if you're interested."

"I think I'm just going to get going Bells. It's a pretty long drive back to Forks, and I'm going to hit rush hour traffic. Call me soon, okay?"

"Sure, Jake." I let go of Edward and walked back over to Jake to give him a hug goodbye. "Have a good trip home. I'll be in Forks for Easter, I'll see you then."

"Bye, Bells." He turned, opened my front door, and left without saying anything to Edward.

"Is he always that rude?" Edward asked.

"No, I've never seen him act that way. Let's go back to bed, I'm exhausted." We headed back to the bedroom and crawled into bed.

We were woken four and a half hours later by my phone ringing. Edward reached for the phone and answered it before he looked at the caller ID.

"Hello?"

"Who is this? Why are you answering my daughter's phone? Bella? Bella? Are you there? What's going on?" Oh, no. It's my mother. This is not good. I hadn't called and told her about Edward at all because she called either when I was busy so I only had enough time to tell her I was ok before I had to go.

Edward pulled the phone away from his ear and realized it was mine.

"Uh, sorry. Hold on, she's right here?" He looked at me with a sheepish grin on his face. "It's your mother. Here." He handed me the phone.

"Hi, Mom."

"Bella, who the hell answered your phone? Jake got here for dinner twenty minutes ago pissed off and not wanting to talk to Billy or me. I know he was planning on seeing you today while he was in Seattle. What happened?"

Edward decided to give me some privacy and left the room. I heard the TV turn on in the living room.

"Well, Mom, I've been seeing someone. His name is Edward Masen. That's who answered my phone. We were taking a nap, I just finished working a triple shift earlier, we have the same phone and Edward didn't realize it was mine until after he answered it. As for Jake, I don't know what his problem is. He came over without verifying it with me, and I had just gotten home from work. He met Edward and was very rude. Wait, how did you see Jake? He went home, right? Mom, are you in La Push? What's going on mother?"

"Uh…umm." I'd never heard my mother stutter over something my entire life. "Well, um, ," she said at a speed that rivaled Alice when excited.

"What was that, Mom?" I was pretty sure I had heard her correctly, but wanted to make sure.

"Billy moved in with me two weeks ago after he proposed." Wow, I had heard her right. It's not like it was a surprise really. The two had been very close since Dad's death. In all honesty I was surprised it had taken him this long.

"I guess we've both been keeping things from each other. Congrats, Mom. I'm very happy for you."

"Thank you, baby. You're still coming home for Easter, right? Are you going to be bringing Edward with you?"

"Yes I'm still coming home. As for the second question I'm not sure, I hadn't really asked yet."

"Ok, well, just let me know. We'll talk more in depth when you get home."

"Ok, Mom. Love you. See you in a few weeks."

"Love you,too. Bye, baby." I quickly ended the call. I laughed softly, phone calls from my mother were never boring.

**EPOV**

I cannot believe I had just answered Bella's phone. Our phones do look alike, and it was the same generic ringtone that I use for my phone. It would have been fine if I had answered and it was Alice or even Emmett. But I am not that lucky. Nope, I answer her phone by mistake and it's her mother. Even after I handed the phone to Bella I could hear her mother demanding answers. I decided to give them some privacy.

I could hear the muffled sound of Bella's voice as she continued their conversation. I knew Bella hadn't told her mother about us yet, just like we hadn't officially said anything to Carlisle and Esme. I know between Alice saying something to them, and Carlisle hearing the gossip at the hospital, they had to know we were a couple. It was only about five minutes later when Bella emerged from her room with a big smile on her face.

"Baby, I am so sorry. I should have looked before answering. I was still half asleep," I stopped talking as I realized that Bella was laughing, and not mad at all.

"Edward, it's ok. Mom and I were both hiding things. Um, Jake's dad, Billy, proposed to my mom two weeks ago and has since moved in with my mom." When I looked at her with a quizzical expression on my face she explained some more. "Billy was my dad's best friend. He lost his wife when we were little kids. So when dad died he was a big help to mom. They had both just lost someone that they cared for deeply, and Billy understood what it was like to lose a spouse. Em and I, heck even Alice, have said there was something more to their friendship over the years then what they were showing to all of us. Turns out we were right." I hadn't met her mother or Billy yet but I was happy for them, still able to find love after everything they had been through, much like Bella and me. "Edward, did you have any plans for Easter?"

"No, not that I know of. I know I'm not working that weekend. I'm not sure what my family does, I haven't really been around for holidays with them in a long time. I'll ask Alice or Esme. Why?"

"This will be a lot easier than I thought," she said more to herself then to me. "No need to talk to Ali or Esme, they actually come up to Forks with us. Is that ok with you? Are you ready to meet my mother?" I was more than a little bit surprised to hear that my family went up to Forks for Easter.

"Well as long as I don't get the greeting from her I got from Em, I think I'm ok with meeting your mom." We both started laughing, remembering the black eye I had sported for a week when Emmett first learned of the two of us being together.

"I know she won't punch you, but I can't promise she won't tackle you. She's put Em on his back a few times when running full speed out of the house to give him a hug." I was surprised to hear this. Em was a big guy, and I highly doubted their mother was much bigger than Bella was.

The two few weeks seemed to fly by. We managed to get together with Emmett, Rose, Alice, and Jasper on a Saturday night and it was a blast. We had a game night at Bella's apartment. Everyone drank, well everyone but Rose, who sat there making fun of us drunk idiots for most of the night. Bella made all types of finger foods, which were beyond delicious. Rose and Emmett didn't think it was enough food, so they ordered two large pizzas. I cringed at the combination of toppings Rose got on hers; anchovies, pineapple, and jalapeno peppers.

The weekend before Easter we went to Carlisle and Esme's with Ali and Jazz for brunch. When we walked into the living room Esme squealed and ran for the two of us, enveloping both of us in a hug.

"I didn't want to believe the gossip that Carlisle kept saying he was hearing at the hospital, but I am so glad it is true. I've thought for a long time the two of you would be perfect together, but the timing was never right to introduce you."

Brunch was nice, and I noticed for the first time how seamlessly Bella fit in with my family. Tanya never had this easy of a relationship with my aunt and my cousin. As I looked back I wondered what I had ever seen in her and realized that marrying her would have been the biggest mistake in my life. I also knew for a fact that Bella would one day be my wife.

We had agreed to leave for Forks together, even if we weren't driving together. So Carlisle and Esme and Emmett and Rose met us at the Neptune building on Good Friday morning. Each couple was driving their own vehicle, but at least we would arrive in Forks close to the same time this way. With Bella navigating we led the way. It took close to four hours to get there. I hadn't even finished putting the car in park when I saw the front door of the house we had pulled up to open, revealing a woman that I could only assume to be Mrs. Swan. Em had pulled in ahead of us and was helping Rose out of the car, he hadn't noticed the door open, focused on his pregnant wife. The woman I had seen at the door came running down the steps and before I knew it Emmett was flat on his back on the ground. I'm sure his laugh could be heard from miles away.

"You weren't kidding when you said she might tackle me, were you?"

At the horrified look on my face Bella just started laughing and shook her head no. We had gotten out of the car and were making our way towards Em and Rose's Jeep. Somehow Emmett had managed to stand up still holding his mother in a bear hug. When she was back on her feet she hugged Rose, and then rubbed her belly. She was whispering and I can only assume she was speaking to the baby.

"Mom, there's someone I'd like you to meet," Bella said.

Her mother turned around and before Bella could make introductions I was lifted off my feet in a hug so strong it felt like every bone in my back was breaking. I was quickly released and unconsciously rubbed my back.

"You must be Edward. I'm Renee. It is such a pleasure to meet you. Oh, baby girl, you are just glowing, and rightly so, this is one hot piece of man meat. I think I know why Jake was so upset the other week when he got here. If I was twenty years younger-" I knew for a fact I was blushing a bright red, probably redder than I'd ever seen Bella.

"MOM!" Both Bella and Emmett screamed at the same time.

"What? He's H-O-T-T, hott!!! How are you sweetheart?" Renee asked as she pulled Bella into a hug. Alice was next, followed by Jasper, who received a swat on the ass as he walked past Renee following Emmett into the house with their luggage. I went back to the car and got Bella and my bags before following everyone else into the house. Renee and Esme were the last two to walk in the door, arms swung over each other's shoulders, like old friends. I walked into the living room and Bella was just finishing up giving a man in a wheelchair, who I assumed from his russet colored skin and black hair was Billy Black, a hug. My assumption was confirmed when Emmett entered the room.

"Hey Billy, what brings you up to Mom's so early? You're not taking advantage of her are you?" Emmett asked.

The older man blanched so white I wouldn't have believed him to be of Native American decent. He started stammering, not really saying much of anything. I felt Bella, who had come over to where I was standing and wrapped her arms around my waist, start shaking with laughter. Obviously Emmett hadn't spoken to his mother recently and Bella hadn't clued her brother into the change in their mother's relationship with Billy. Renee entered the room and when she saw Billy she rushed to his side.

"Hunny, are you ok? What's wrong?" Renee asked, worry evident on her face. Billy leaned into her and whispered something in her ear. Renee blushed and shook her head no. Billy sighed heavily, but color came back into his face.

"Hunny?" Emmett asked loudly. "Mom, why did you just call Billy, hunny? And no offense Billy, but what is he doing here so early? It's not even noon yet."

Bella's silent laughter got harder, her body shaking even more. I couldn't help but join in with silent laughter of my own. Emmett must have noticed the two of us because he quickly turned his annoyance on us.

"What the hell do you two find so funny?" He demanded.

I noticed the ring glinting on Renee's finger and started laughing outright. I knew Bella noticed it too and found it hilarious that Emmett was so unobservant. Alice had been looking at Bella and I, but followed our gaze to Renee's hand. She started giggling too, and Emmett was getting ready to turn on her. Luckily Renee spoke up.

"Well, Emmett," she said, and then added, "everyone. Billy and I have some news. We're engaged!" She screamed holding up her left hand showing the ring on her third finger. This time it was Em's turn to blanch, before quickly recovering.

"It's about damn time," he bellowed. Everyone started laughing. Congratulations were given and hugs were exchanged.

We relaxed over the next three days. Bella took me to all of her favorite placed in Forks. Friday evening the entire group headed down to First Beach in La Push. It was a wonderful time, well other than for the glares I kept getting from Jacob. Obviously the kid didn't like me. After sitting around the bonfire for a few hours I decided to get up and stretch my legs, and escape Jacob's evil eye if just for a couple of minutes. Bella was busy talking to Renee and Alice about wedding plans. I was walking down near the water, the waves stopping on the sand about a foot before touching my shoes.

"Hey, Man, you Ok?" The last voice I expected to hear was that of Emmett.

"Yeah, just needed to stretch my legs," I said.

"More like you needed to get away from the hostile stares of a certain Quileute Indian," he deadpanned.

"Am I that obvious?" I wondered if everyone knew why I had walked away.

"Nah, I've just known Jake his entire life. I know how he feels about my sister, and how she has turned him down time and again. I also know he has hated every boyfriend Bells has had since high school. Whenever she has brought a guy to one of these bonfires Jake has glared at him. I saw the glares tonight, and they are especially hostile, I would have bailed too."

I couldn't help but laugh at that. But something he said at the beginning of his little explanation caught my attention.

"Wait, how does Jacob feel about her?"

"Man, he has loved her for years." He said. "But you've got nothing to worry about. Bella has never seen him as more than a friend. She has turned him down every time he asks for more. He thought a couple of year ago that it would be a good idea to kiss her. He figured it would make her realize how she felt about him. So he pulled her close, kissed her, but it didn't do what he wanted. She didn't fall madly in love with him, it just made my sister pissed. When Jake finally let her go she punched him in the face. Unfortunately Jake didn't feel it, but Bella sure did, it broke her hand. Bella even told him at Christmas that she would never want him as more than a friend. You got nothing to worry about. Just one thing, Edward."

I turned to look right at him and raised an eyebrow, silently telling him to continue.

"Don't fuckin' hurt her, or I'll have to hurt you."

"Deal." We continued walking for a while in silence, just enjoying the location. After everything Emmett had just said I felt I had to tell him my intentions with Bella. I needed his blessing. "Em?"

"Yeah, man?"

"I just want to tell you how much Bella means to me."

"I know, man. It's written all over your face. You love her."

Well, shit. This big bear was more observant than I thought.

"I do. She's it for me, Em. I won't be doing it anytime soon, but I am going to ask Bella to marry me someday. With your Dad gone, I wanted to ask you for your blessing."

"Make sure you ask our mother before you actually ask Bella, but you've got my blessing, man. Plus, it'll be nice to have another guy around here, I've kinda been out numbered for awhile now." We both started laughing as we headed back toward the others.

As we got closer I noticed Bella was still sitting next to Alice and Renee, but had turned her focus on Jake, who must have came over to talk to her after I left. I got excited when I realized she wasn't even paying attention to him, she kept turning her head every-which-way looking for something. My heart swelled when her eyes landed on me and her face relaxed before a huge smile spread across it; she had been looking for me.

Right before we got within earshot of those around the fire, Em stopped me with a hand on my arm.

"Edward, I know my sister; and she loves you just as much as you love her." I was smiling all through the rest of the night, and all of Saturday as we toured the town. My smile was still on my face while I sat through Easter morning services Sunday, and still hadn't left my face by the time we got back to our apartments on Monday. I couldn't wait to hear those words come from her mouth.

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One Request:

**REVIEW!!**


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: So this is the chapter most of you have been waiting for.

I leave for a trip to Dallas this weekend. I'm hoping to get some time to write, but since I will be there to visit my brother who I haven't seen in almost a year….I make NO guarantees.

As always I don't own the characters (they're Steph Meyer's), I only own the crazy situation that I have put them in.

I also don't own the song, that is the pleasure of Less than Jake, and David Cassidy before them. Of course the original is great, but I like the LTJ remake.

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Chapter 13- I think I Love You

_I think I love you so what am I so afraid of?  
I'm afraid that I'm not sure of  
A love there is no cure for.  
I think I love you  
Isn't that what life is made of?  
Though it worries me to say that I've never felt this way._

_I don't know what I'm up against.  
I don't know what it's all about.  
I got so much to think about, yeah_

_I think I love you so what am I so afraid of?_

_I think I love you by Less than Jake_

May 2009

EPOV

Bella and my relationship continued to evolve over the weeks following Easter. If we weren't working we were together. I picked up more Medic shifts, splitting my time evenly over the month to be able to spend more time with Bella. As I had reviewed the reports from the night of my parents' crash I realized that a firefighter wouldn't have been able to pull them out alive. With this information, my interest began to switch back to medicine. If I was being honest, I was actually considering signing on full time with Medic One and leaving the fire station behind. It was a big decision and I was taking my time with it.

I had scheduled an appointment with the Chief on one of my days off to discuss what I had been thinking of. We spoke about a multitude of different factors that day. Why had I originally chosen medicine and in turn the medic program while in Portland? What made me change my mind and go into firefighting? What was the reason behind this change of heart again? The last one was the most difficult. To be truthful I wasn't sure. I knew part of it had to do with what I learned about the crash. I also knew part of it had to do with Bella. She was fine with the medic runs, they didn't scare her. The chief told me to think about it and to talk to Bella, get her thoughts.

I knew that was the last thing I was going to do. Bella would immediately tell me to leave the station and work solely for Medic One. The firefighting scared her too much. This would be easy for her, but I wasn't so sure. I enjoyed the firefighting; I wouldn't have stayed with it so long if I didn't. I loved the adrenaline rush. Sure there was a rush with the medic runs, but nothing compared to the feeling of running into a burning building and controlling a force of nature that was feared.

As April turned into May I started to see less and less of Bella. Alice started monopolizing all of her time off with wedding plans. There were fittings and tastings. There were trips to craft stores for supplies and the making of favors. When Alice wasn't in Wedding planning mode, she was in Baby Shower mode, getting ready for Rose's baby shower, which was still two months off. When Alice didn't have Bella, Rose did. The two of them took every spare moment away from Alice to plan out the Bachelorette party and bridal shower. My head was spinning at all of the things that were being done for this one day. I had never been more grateful to be a guy.

The only thing Jasper, Emmett, and I had to do was go about three weeks before the wedding to be fit for our tuxes, oh, and plan a bachelor party. Em was already complaining about that. Ali and Jazz had agreed: no strippers at either party. This included no strip clubs in the plans. So our plans kept changing, neither Em nor I being able to agree on what to do. Em wanted to hit a local bar and just get Jasper as wasted as possible. I felt a night at my apartment with the guys, some cases of beer, and a baseball game was more Jasper's style. We still had awhile, having decided to hold the bachelor party only 2 weeks before the wedding.

Spring turned into summer and slowly but surely Alice released her hold on Bella. I had basically moved in with Bella in the beginning of June. I was always there, and more and more of my things were making their way to her drawers, closet, and bathroom. This was fine with me, because I never wanted to leave her side, and I was happy to learn, she didn't want me to.

Mid June rolled around and we got a call from Rose one day requesting everyone to meet at their house. The call was a bit out of the blue, and Rose seemed impatient when on the phone. When we arrived we noticed everyone was there, and I mean everyone; Ali and Jazz, Renee and Billy, Rose and Jazz's parents, Peter and Charlotte, and even Carlisle and Esme.

"It's about damn time you two got here. You are the last two to arrive and Rose wouldn't tell any of us until you were here. So let's go," Alice said as she grabbed one of each of our hands and pulled us to the living room. "Rose, the lollygaggers are here. What the hell did you need all of us over here for right now?"

"You all know how when I went for both my 5 and 6 month checkups, Baby Swan here didn't want us to know if it is a boy or girl. Well, at my appointment this morning the baby opened its legs up-" Rose said, stopping only when Emmett cut her off.

"Because he needed to show off how he is well endowed just like his daddy," Emmett bellowed holding up an ultrasound photo. The room erupted in congratulations. Everyone knew as much as both of them said they only wanted a healthy baby, Em had been praying for a little boy. We all demanded to know his name and were told Ethan Charles Swan.

The picture got passed around and it was quite obviously a little boy, and he already had his hand between his legs. I started laughing hysterically when I noticed that. There was no denying this was Emmett's son. When I showed Bella she pointed this fact out to Renee, who proceeded to tell all kinds of stories of Em as a baby and small child. Most of us were laughing, Em looked beyond embarrassed and Rose looked petrified. My wonderful woman calmed her sister-in-law instantly. She reminded Rose she would have a lot more help than Renee did with basically three sets of grandparents, two aunts, and two uncles to take care of little Ethan. I was confused for a minute when I heard her say two uncles. That was until I realized she was talking about me, they were already considering me this little boy's uncle. My heart swelled even more and I knew I would have to start making plans to officially make Bella mine.

BPOV

I was so excited to be having a nephew. I was hoping that he wasn't nearly as horrible as Em was when we were little, for Rose's sake. Mom kept going on and on with story after story about little Emmett, and Charlotte was doing the same with stories about Rose. She looked petrified. I went over to her to try and calm her nerves, little Ethan did not need her getting overly anxious. I mentioned all the help she would have.

"Rose, think about it, sweetie. You'll have help from Mom and Billy, Peter and Charlotte, even Esme and Carlisle. Hell this kid will be the luckiest kid in the world with three sets of grandparents. Not to mention his Uncle Jazz, Aunt Alice, Aunt Bella, and Uncle Edward. You'll have more help than you know what to do with." I hadn't even realized what I had said until I felt Edward behind me, hugging my shoulders over the back of the couch and kissing my neck. Did I really just call him 'Uncle Edward'? I did. I guess my brain was trying to tell me what my heart already knew; that Edward was it for me. I just really hoped he felt the same way, because I am head over heels in love with him.

It was nice to relax with the family for a bit after the past few months. Alice was driving all of us crazy trying to be a perfectionist in her wedding plans. I was getting the brunt of her craziness trying to keep Ali's focus off of Rose. Rose and I had everything planned for the bridal shower, which would be happening in July, and so far we had been able to keep it a secret from Alice. We also had the bachelorette party planned. We were going to wait until after Ethan was born so Rose could really participate. We were going to hit the town three weeks before the wedding.

I was also getting it with baby shower plans for Rose. Thankfully Mom and Charlotte were taking care of that with the help of Alice. I was just going to have to show up for it. With all this planning, I was spending less time with Edward, and I really missed him.

Of course I was excited for both my best friend and my sister-in-law, respectively, bit I really couldn't wait until October when everything was over. I just wanted to relax with Edward. He had basically moved in with me, which did allow us to see each other a bit more.

Soon June turned into July. We pulled off the surprise bridal shower. We played the games, we opened the gifts, we made the annoying ribbon hat, and surprisingly Alice actually put it on. Mom and Charlotte pulled off the surprise baby shower. Rose cried over everything she got. Everyone helped Rose and Em get the nursery ready. I was getting anxious for Ethan to make his appearance.

July turned into August. I had my final fitting and brought my gorgeous bridesmaid dress home. Rose had made special arrangements to have all of her fittings after Ethan was born. Alice's final fitting would be a week and a half before the big day.

I was lounging around the apartment one day in the oldest pair of sweatpants and t-shirt I owned. They had rips and holes in them, and stains from things I didn't even remember. I hadn't taken a shower yet and I knew my hair looked like a rats nest. Even though I didn't like knowing his schedule I knew he was working today, and that was one of the reasons I was allowing myself to look the way I did. I would have never worn this if I knew he would be coming down. It was my day off and I was using every minute of it to relax. The summer had been crazy so far in the ER. There had been more boating and ATV accidents than the past 2 summers combined, and the almost constant stream of traumas was starting to take its toll on me. I started flipping through channels and found some re-runs of _Grey's Anatomy_. During the second episode that I was watching I must have fallen asleep because I awoke a couple of hours later when it felt like I was floating. I opened my eyes to a pair of emerald eyes and bronze hair staring back at me. I gasped startled that he was back from work. I was so surprised I moved enough that it caused Edward to lose his grip and I landed on my butt on the floor with a thud.

"Edward, what are you doing here? You're supposed to be at work, I look a mess." I quickly scrambled to my feet and ran for the bedroom. "Just let me get showered and changed. I don't want you to see me like this," I yelled behind me. I heard Edward follow after me. Just before I was able to reach the safety of the bathroom he caught me.

"You look gorgeous, Bella," he said. I opened my mouth to protest but he kept talking. "I love you and every time I see you, no matter what you are wearing, you look gorgeous."

I gasped. Did I hear him right? Did he just say he loved me? I knew I had been feeling that way ever since I saw him with my family at Easter. I was just too frightened to say it first, thinking Edward wasn't ready, because I knew my heart couldn't take it if he didn't say it back.

"Edward?" I questioned.

"I meant it, Bella. I love you with all my heart," he whispered. He seemed almost afraid now. Oh God, I didn't say it back. He probably thinks I don't feel the same way. He had started to back away, give me some space. I quickly closed the distance and leapt into his arms. He easily caught me as I started kissing everyplace I could reach.

"I love you too, Edward. So much. I'm pretty sure I always will."

EPOV

As August began I was floating high as a cloud. Bella and I had confessed our love for each other. I knew what I needed to do. So I went to see my aunt to get the one thing I would need to put my plans in motion. When I got to the house I was welcomed just like always, even if Esme was surprised to see me. When I told her what I wanted she was ecstatic. She hugged me hard before breaking down into tears.

"You're mother and father would be so proud of you, Edward," she said between sobs. "Bella is a wonderful woman and I know your parents would have loved her." When she settled herself a bit we went into Carlisle's office. The closet in there held the family safe. Most of the extremely valuable items I received from my parent's estate were in there, as was the deed to their house (none of us having the heart to sell it), all of Esme's priceless jewels, and the deed to her island off the coast of Brazil. She had to reach all the way into the back, but seemed to know exactly where my mother's engagement ring was. She pulled out the blue velvet ring box. When she opened it she sighed. "It needs a bit of polishing, Edward. I'll make a call to our jeweler and have him clean it for you." I nodded my head while looking down at the ring. Even dirty and tarnished it looked exquisite, and perfect for my Bella. "This is going to look lovely on her, Edward. I don't think Bella would be able to come up with a more perfect ring. When are you going to propose, sweetie?"

I told her my plans. She reminded me to talk to Alice and Jasper, but didn't think my cousin would have a problem with it. I sat and visited with Esme for a bit, letting her in on what had been happening with work, and what I had been considering for the past couple of months. She told me to keep doing what made me happy, and to follow my heart.

"Did you speak with Renee and Emmett yet?" Esme asked out of the blue. Thankfully I knew what she was talking about.

"Yeah, I talked to Emmett back during Easter, and then with Renee when she was down for the baby shower last month. Em threatened to hurt me if I hurt her, and Renee squealed like a teenager. They are both very happy though."

When I left I got right on the phone with Ali and asked if it was ok if I stopped by the boutique tomorrow to ask her something. She said of course, but wanted me to spill the beans on the phone. That wasn't going to happen. I quickly hung up with her and made a call to Jazz. I told him why I needed his help. He loved the idea and said he'd be there exactly when I asked him to, without letting Ali know he was coming.

I knew she would freak out, hopefully in a good way, but that was why I chose to meet her at her boutique. I knew that in front of her employees she would keep herself slightly composed. I opened the door to the shop and walked inside. I still couldn't belief I was asking this of her. I heard the tingling of the bell above the door announcing my arrival. Alice appeared quickly in the doorway to her office. She was at my side in an instant walking me toward the office she had just exited. As soon as we were inside and the door was closed she pounced.

"Spill! What have you been keeping from me? And what do you need me for?"

"Um, we just have to wait for one other person. Then I'll tell you," she glared at me. "I promise." She kept glaring at me for another minute or two until I heard the bell out front sound, shortly followed by a knock on the office door. The door opened slowly and my savior appeared. He was my insurance to prevent an over-reaction from my loving cousin. "Hey Jazz, thanks for coming."

"Ok, Edward, now you are to spill immediately. Why is my fiancée here?" She turned to Jazz, "Not that I'm not happy to see you, baby. But I want to know what is going on." Jasper wrapped his arms around Alice and I knew I was good to go.

"First you have to let me finish all I have to say before speaking or making any noise at all." Alice crossed her heart and zipped her lips closed. "Good. Bella and I have been together for a while now. I love her with all my heart. I've already talked to Renee and Emmett, and gotten their blessing to ask Bella to marry me." I saw Alice getting ready to explode. Jasper leaned over her rubbing her arms and whispering in her ear. "Um, the reason I am talking to the two of you is because I need a favor for the proposal. I almost don't want to ask because that is the one day that should be all about the two of you, but I'm going to anyways. Alice, Jasper, I want to propose to Bella at your wedding reception. You can say no, but I know Bella would never expect this and I really want all of our family and friends there when I ask her to be mine forever." Alice was literally shaking now from restraining herself. Jasper was grinning at me. "So, what do you think?"

"What do I think?" Her voice raised another octave, "What do I think?" She paused and I was starting to get worried, maybe this was a bad idea. I was just getting ready to tell Ali to forget it when she launched herself at me. "I love it, Edward. Of course you can propose at our reception, we'd be honored. What did you have in mind?"

I spent the next hour describing my plan. Both Jazz and Ali were on board and willing to help in the ways they could. They were going to speak to the other players needed to make my plan successful. Now I was just praying that when I ask Bella that important question that she says yes.

The rest of August passed rather quickly. It was the last Saturday in August and Bella and I had just crawled into bed after being at the hospital for 14 hours, due to an extremely critical call that came in minutes before the end of our shifts. It was a massive motor vehicle pileup on the Interstate. There were 10 cars and 2 tractor trailers involved. Most of the people involved were critical. My head had hit the pillow and I was almost asleep when the damn phone rang. And not just one of our phones that we could have ignored; both our cell phones as well as Bella's landline phone started ringing. I reached out and grasped the nearest phone.

"Hello?" I questioned rather sleepily.

"Edward! You and Bella need to get to the hospital right now," Alice screamed into my ear.

"Why? What happened? What's wrong?" I asked, quickly sitting up in bed, dislodging Bella from her spot on my shoulder. She started grumbling, until she saw the worry evident on my face.

"Nothing is wrong doofus," Alice stated, more calmly than before. "Rose is in labor, and if you are interested in being part of the party to welcome your nephew to the world, you both better get your asses up and to this hospital. I gotta go, see you soon!"

As my face switched from worry to joy, I noticed Bella's face change to curiosity.

"Ready to head back to the hospital, Love?" I questioned. Bella's face showed even more confusion. "I guess I should have said; are you ready to meet Ethan?"

Bella squealed and jumped out of bed. She ran into the closet and came back out fully dressed before I even made it off the bed.

"Let's go, chop chop mister. Get a move on. I want to meet our nephew!"

I had never seen Bella act this way. I dressed quickly and we were in the car in a matter of minutes. I'm sure I broke every speed limit on the way back to the hospital, and for once Bella didn't complain, she was actually urging me to go faster. We parked in the garage and ran inside. Bella didn't bother waiting for the elevators. She ran over to the stairwell and started flying up the flights to labor and delivery. When we emerged from the stairwell we ran right into Alice, who was pacing in the hallway. She quickly led us to the waiting room where all of our family was.

Bella and I took a seat and must have fallen asleep while we waited for Emmett to come out and tell us when Ethan had arrived. I woke up about 5 hours later, and looked at my cousin. She shook her head, silently telling me there was no news. Ten hours after we had arrived Emmett came barreling into the waiting room.

"I'm a dad!" he yelled at the top of his lungs. "Ethan Charles born at 11:32pm, August 28th, 2009. He's 20 inches long and weighs 10lbs 2ozs, and he's absolutely perfect."

* * *

Since I know you'll ask to see it, The Engagement ring: http://www(dot)doverjewelry(dot)com/preview/dsc_005131(dot)jpg

I promise, there is a reason why Ethan was brought into this story. And trust me, it will not be rainbows and sunshine like this forever (insert evil laugh here)


	14. Chapter 14

A/N:

Hey Y'all, Greeting from Texas. Since I've got some down time, waiting for my brother to get home from work, I figured I'd update.

Here it is, the thing you've all been waiting for since the last chapter. It also happens to be the last chapter of happy times. Things get angsty again next chapter.

I don't own the characters, I just own this craziness that I decided to have them participate in.

The song is not mine either, the great Shangrilas own it.

Time to get married...

* * *

**Chapter 14- Chapel of Love  
**

_Going to the chapel  
And we're gonna get married  
Going to the chapel  
And we're gonna get married  
Gee I really love you  
And we're gonna get married  
Going to the chapel of love_

Bells will ring  
The sun will shine  
I'll be his  
And he'll be mine  
We'll love until  
The end of time  
And we'll never be lonely anymore  
~Chapel of Love by The Shangrilas  


September 2009

APOV

"I'm getting married today," I screamed as soon as I woke up. Bella and Rosalie sprung to a sitting position on the sofa bed in my old room at my parents' house.

"Alice, I love you sweetie, and I know today is a big day for you, so I'm going to say this as nicely as I can. Shut the fuck up and go back to sleep. We've got another hour and a half until the people from the salon will be here, and I am going to take advantage of every minute that I get to sleep in being baby free. Not to mention, today is going to be a very long day. You need all the rest you can get," Rose said. Bella started laughing next to her sister-in-law.

I huffed, but laid back down. She was right. Today was going to be a very long day, especially since it would not _only_ be my wedding, but also the day that my best friend got engaged. It was going to be great. I knew she wouldn't enjoy being the center of attention, but she would enjoy knowing she was going to marry Edward. I squealed to myself. At least I thought it was in my head.

"Alice," Rose seethed.

"Sorry! I'm going back to sleep now, I promise." Well, maybe I wasn't going to go back to sleep, but I would stay quiet. I was thinking of the day ahead and eventually did fall back to sleep, because the next thing I knew I felt the bed dip and an arm shake me. I opened my eyes to see Rose sitting on the bed. She placed a finger over her lips in the universal sign for silence as she pointed over to Bella, who was still sleeping soundly on the pullout.

Rose stood and strode out the door in one of the gifts I had gotten her, a black satin robe with 'bridesmaid' in rhinestones on the back. I grabbed my own white satin robe, which proudly stated "Soon-to-Be Mrs. Hale', and followed her into the hallway. I closed the door behind myself so we wouldn't bother Bella.

"She still has no idea what is coming, does she?" I whispered.

"She is freakin' clueless. Edward hasn't exactly been subtle about it either," Rose said with disdain in her voice. "I've heard them talking about the future. Edward keeps wondering aloud about what their children will look like whenever they're with Ethan. I think he has even mentioned something about a house with a picket fence and a dog. "

"Oh, don't forget the jeweler," I stated. Rose raised an eyebrow at me in question. "Well Edward took the ring to the family's jeweler to have it cleaned. He wanted to make sure it was sized properly, so he told Bella he had to have his watch fixed one day while they were out. Edward had spoken to the jeweler and had him say it would only take about 15 minutes to fix and to browse what was in the store. Edward had her try on everything. I'm talking necklaces, earrings, bracelets, rings. The jeweler's assistant actually took measurements for Bella's perfect necklace and bracelet length that way when he measured her ring finger she wouldn't be suspicious."

"You have got to be kidding me," Rose said, laughing so hard she had started crying.

I shook my head no, letting her know I was serious. This just caused her to laugh louder. I quickly shushed her, we didn't need Bella to wake up.

"Oh, shut up, we need to wake her up anyway. I woke you up because the people from the salon are here. Let's get you ready for my brother."

"Better yet, let's get our best friend ready for the biggest day of her life so far," I countered.

"Ali, shouldn't Bella and I be saying that about you?" she questioned.

"Oh please, I've been ready to marry Jasper since the day I met him." And it was the truth. I'd always known Jasper was my forever, and now it was Bella's turn.

BPOV

Even though I had had to endure close to three hour getting my hair and makeup done, I couldn't deny that Alice's wedding was beautiful. Jasper had tears of joy sliding down his cheeks when he saw Alice coming down the aisle. Alice had decided to do a fun choreographed dance instead of the regular bridal party dance. I was reluctant at first; not having much rhythm, but it was very easy. The guys made fools of themselves and we were getting nothing but compliments from the surprised guests. Dinner was delicious. When it came time to cut the cake I wondered if the two would keep their earlier vow. I was sitting next to the newlyweds in the limo on the way to the reception hall, when I heard both of them agree to be nice to the other when feeding the first bite of cake.

Just as the piece Alice held reached Jazz's face she pushed her hand forward and up, smearing the icing and cake all over his face. Jazz had already gotten the piece partly in Alice's mouth so he wasn't able to retaliate much. I laughed snapping pictures with my camera, before playing the good maid of honor and going to help clean the both of them up. Jasper was a lost cause, and I sent Edward with him to the bathroom to clean up. The poor boy had cake up his nose. I got Alice's face cleaned off, before Rose ushered her into the bathroom to reapply her makeup.

I knew the part of the night I was dreading was coming up. The bouquet toss! There were not a lot of single women here, meaning I would have to go out. Fewer women out to catch the thing meant more chance that I would; I couldn't hide in the back. After the Bride and Groom were cleaned up they shared their official first dance. Then Alice danced with Carlisle, and Jasper danced with Charlotte. Then the DJ said the words I'd been dreading. He called for all the single women to come out on the dance floor. Alice picked up the bouquet she was throwing before looking back at us.

"Ready, ladies?" She asked, looking over her shoulder at us. The ten of us on the dance floor nodded. The DJ counted to three and Alice threw the flowers over her head. I didn't even try to reach for it and the offending thing fell right into my hands. Alice winked at me before giving me a huge hug. I ran into the comforting embrace of Edward's arms, hoping to calm my nerves.

The DJ started some stripper music as Jasper led Alice to a chair in the middle of the floor. He sat her down and worked his way down her body, until he was kneeling in front of her. He picked up the edge of her skirt and ducked under. The room erupted in laughter. After what seemed like forever, Jazz emerged with the garter between his teeth. He helped Alice up and twirled her around as the DJ called for the single men. As Edward walked away from me I gave his hand a squeeze, knowing he would understand that I needed him to catch this thing. I would not be comfortable with anyone else placing that garter on my leg.

Jazz looked over his shoulder and the DJ again counted down from three. The garter flew through the air. Only one man even reached up for it; my Edward. I got a strange feeling this was set up. I grabbed Alice and asked her why; she knew how much I hated to be the center of attention. She tried convincing me it wasn't staged but I was unconvinced. The chair was out in the middle of the floor again. I sat down in it and Edward kneeled in front of me. As he reached for my foot to slip the garter on, Alice screamed.

"Wait!" She walked over to the DJ who handed her a mic. "Bella, did you notice there is a small satin bag tied to the handle of that bouquet?" I nodded. I had noticed the bag and wondered what it was. As she reached my side she said, "Could you please take that bag off and hand it to Edward?" I cocked an eyebrow at her, but did as she asked. As soon as I had handed the bag to him, Alice handed him the mic.

"Isabella. I'll never forget the first time I saw a picture of you. Alice had come down to Portland to visit me. She had a stack of photos with her from college. As I began flipping through the photos this gorgeous girl with chestnut brown hair, and big brown eyes was in a few of them. When I asked Alice about her she said 'That is my awesome best friend and roommate Bella. We met at work. She's a bit shy, but my perfect compliment.' All I could think about was how fitting your name was for you. Beautiful. Mi Bella, my beautiful. When we finally met, I was surprised by how easy it was to be around you. I know we've had some rough patches to overcome, but we've weathered the storm. I know I will always be able to handle whatever life throws at me if I have you as my rock." Oh my god. This isn't happening. No way, not here, not now, not on Alice's day. I felt the tears streaming down my face. Edward opened the bag and turned the contents out into his palm. A gorgeous platinum band with a princess cut center diamond bigger than I could have imagined, lay in his hand. He picked it up and looked right into my eyes. I saw the tears collected in his green orbs and noticed his hand was shaking; he was nervous. "Isabella Marie Swan, I ask you, in front of all our friends and family, to be my rock always. Will you marry me?" I couldn't speak as the tears just kept flowing, so I nodded. I kept nodding as I grabbed him around the neck and pulled him to me kissing him passionately.

I heard Alice squeal, and a round of applause come from the rest of the guests. I finally told him yes, over and over again as he slid the ring on my finger. The DJ started a slow song in our honor and I heard Leona Lewis' voice float out of the speakers singing _I Will Be_. I looked into my _fiancée's _eyes as I spoke.

"You planned this?" He nodded. "I love you. It was perfect. I just really wish you wouldn't have spent so much money on a ring, I would have been happy with something smaller." This thing was huge, I really didn't know how I would wear it at work.

"Bella, first off, you need to understand, money is nothing to me. I could stop working tomorrow and live comfortably for the rest of my life." I gasped; I knew he had money but not that much, not that is mattered to me either way. He continued pulling me from my thoughts, "Secondly, I didn't spend a dime on that ring." I looked at him confused. He stroked my cheek before lifting my hand and kissing the ring. "Love, that ring was my mother's, my grandmother's before that, and I do believe the original owner of that ring was my great grandmother." I looked at him stunned. I was speechless. I felt honored that he would give me such a precious family heirloom.

"Thank you," I whispered as tears fell from my eyes again.

"I did spend some money on a ring for you though. I got you something much smaller to wear at work. This can be your special occasion ring. I know you needed something that you could pull gloves over."

"You are wonderful, Edward Masen."

"As are you, future Mrs. Edward Masen."

"I like the sound of that," I said smiling. We danced the rest of the night away. All of us had such a great time. After all of the drama Edward and I had gone through at the beginning of our relationship, it was hard to believe we had made it here. Rose and I helped Alice out of her dress as the reception wound down. She had chosen a simple, white, knee length sun dress to wear on the plane for their honeymoon. Jasper and Alice said their goodbyes and got in the limo that was taking them right to the airport. Carlisle had splurged and got them a private jet to take them to directly Samana in the Dominican Republic. We quickly packed up all their gifts and got it all back to our apartment building. We put everything in their apartment before Edward and I headed down to his. Rose and Emmett were staying in my apartment where the sitter had been watching Ethan. They were taking my master bedroom, the sitter and Ethan already asleep in the guest room. I wished my brother and sister-in-law a goodnight before I let myself into Edward's apartment and headed for his bedroom.

We made love sweetly before curling together and talking quietly. We talked about our future. He told me more about his financial situation. I learned his parents had left him very well off when they passed away, his father having been a very prominent lawyer that came from a wealthy family. Edward had been very smart investment-wise as well, which allowed his inheritance to grow exponentially over the years. He hadn't even taken much of a hit when stocks dropped, having moved most of his investments right as the markets began to dip. He told me that when we decided to have children I could be a stay at home mom if I wanted to. As much as I loved my job, the idea of getting to stay home while our children were young appealed to me very much. We moved on to living arrangements. Edward mentioned buying a house on the outskirts of the city, or even moving into his childhood home, which had never been sold. At this moment, neither of them were appealing to me. I liked the Neptune too much to leave.

"Edward, I want to stay here. I like this building and I like its proximity to so many places. It isn't too far for either of us for work. The restaurants are all really good. Plus our friends and family are nearby."

"Ok, we'll stay here," he said chuckling, "but which apartment?"

"I don't know," I said honestly. "I seem to have more stuff than you, but I like the view more from your apartment." I watched his face trying to see if I could gage his feelings on the subject. All of a sudden it looked like a light was turned on.

"Love, I have a great idea. Why don't we just turn this into one big apartment? I'm sure Esme would go for it, since she wasn't going to ever kick either of us out anyways, and it would allow us to keep the best of both apartments. Not to mention it would give us two, maybe even three, extra bedrooms to have for guests or children, which would mean we wouldn't outgrow the place too soon."

"Edward, that is perfect!" We talked for a few more minutes on how we would configure the new apartment, deciding we would go see Esme in the morning.

"Well we talked about everything else tonight, maybe we should start thinking of a date?"

"Sometime in the spring, April maybe?"

"Ok, we'll look at a calendar tomorrow, Love. So what kind of wedding do you want?"

"Elegant but not too big. Just close friends and family. I don't need a hall full of guests to celebrate with, or a five star catered meal."

"My thoughts exactly, Love. You do know Alice is going to demand to plan it?" he whispered in my ear. I nodded.

"Yup, and that is fine with me. I could care less about all the other stuff, as long as I get to call you my husband at the end of it all that is all I care about." He kissed me again and I soon fell asleep in my future-husband's arms.

When we woke up, Edward and I dressed quickly before going next door to see my brother. Em and Rose loved the idea of the entire floor being ours. When the babysitter got up to leave, I saw the disappointment on my sister-in-law's face.

"Rose, why don't Edward and I watch Ethan today?"

"Really? Are you sure?" she questioned, the hope evident in her voice.

"Yeah, it would be fun. It'll be good practice for when Bella and I decide to start our family. Not to mention, I love this little guy," Edward said walking over and picking Ethan up out of his playpen, "and I never get to spend enough time with him."

"No arguments here. You two have fun. I'll call you later sis to pick him up. Let's go enjoy our day of freedom wife," Em yelled as he grabbed Rose's hand and ran for the door. I think he was in a hurry thinking we would back out. Not gonna happen, my nephew needed some quality Aunt Bella and Uncle Edward time. As well as some Nana Esme and Poppop Carlisle time.

We decided to take Ethan to the park before heading over to Carlisle and Esme's. We walked out of the building, hand in hand, pushing Ethan's stroller. When we got to the park I picked him up and kissed the peach fuzz on the top of his head. I walked over to the swing set and sat down, cradling Ethan to my chest. I felt Edward come up behind me. He gently pushed me. The swinging motion quickly put Ethan back to sleep. Edward helped me stop, but I wasn't interested in standing up just yet. I looked at the sleeping baby. He really was the most adorable boy ever.

"You now, you are a natural with him, love," Edward whispered in my ear. "I just keeping thinking that one day soon the little baby lying in your arms could be ours. What do you think? Do you want to wait long after our wedding to start our family?"

"I don't want to wait at all. If I'm being honest I want to have a honeymoon baby. We need to set a date Edward."

He pulled up the calendar that was on his phone. He quickly flipped to April.

"Well, we'll have to see what places are available but, any Saturday in April or even May," he said.

"Umm, I was thinking, what if we asked Carlisle and Esme to have it in the gardens at the house? They're beautiful and by that point they'd be in full bloom. So if it's ok with them, what about April 24th?" I said, hoping he'd like the idea.

"That sounds perfect, love, just perfect." He leaned down and kissed me. To any onlookers I'm sure we looked like the perfect new family.

I pulled away from Edward, feeling like we were being watched. When I looked around no one seemed to be looking at us though. I pushed the feeling to the back of my mind, and continued with my perfect day.

* * *

Uh oh...what's going on now, hmmm. A bit of foreshadowing maybe? You know I love hearing from all of you. Drop me a review!!!

Alice's wedding dress: http://i41(dot)photobucket(dot)com/albums/e290/panda1499/BU%20Photos/AliceWed(dot)jpg  
Bella and Rose's bridesmaid dresses: http://i41(dot)photobucket(dot)com/albums/e290/panda1499/BU%20Photos/AliceBridesmaid(dot)jpg


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: I am beyond sorry. It has been a rough couple of weeks. This chapter has been close to done since my visit to Dallas/Ft Worth, however I haven't really been able to handle anything with writing since I came home. As I pulled my bags off of the carousel I recieved a very upsetting phone call. One of my sorority sisters, who just turned 19 in Jan, was told she had 2 weeks to live. The week before Easter we visited her home in rural NY to initiate her. Two days later she passed away, and the funeral was on Good Friday. I haven't been able to handle writing because it gives me too much time to think. So I again say sorry.**

**As always I do not own the characters, just the crazy plot line. The song this chapter belongs to the wonderful 80's duo of Hall and Oates.**

* * *

Chapter 15- Private Eyes

_You play with words you play with love  
you can twist it around baby that ain't enough  
cause girl I'm gonna know  
if you're letting me in or letting me go  
don't lie when you're hurting inside  
'cause you can't escape my  
Private Eyes  
they're watching you  
they see your every move  
Private Eyes  
they're watching you  
Private Eyes  
they're watching you watching you watching you watching you_

_~Private Eyes by Hall & Oates_

TPOV

How had he moved on so quickly? I mean, I know he had left me close to a year ago. But to have a wife and a baby already? I could see the ring that should have been on my finger glistening from across the park. I knew all of this was thanks to that bitch of a cousin of his. I knew the woman that was Edward's wife holding his baby was his cousin's old roommate, Betty or something like that. I'd seen pictures of her when Alice would visit. I'm almost positive that after Edward caught me with Laurant in our bed he called Alice. I'm sure she told him not to forgive me, to just leave, and move back to Seattle. Edward loved me, I was sure that without Alice's input he would have forgave me for cheating. If he hadn't been leaving he wouldn't have caught me with Demitri either, and what he didn't know wouldn't have hurt him. When he got back here Alice probably set him up with this twat and they weren't safe. She got pregnant and they got married. Alice had trapped him. I'm sure he didn't love this woman.

I'd sat in the back of the church balcony yesterday while Alice married the guy she had gone on and on about every time we saw her. Even if I hated her, and I knew the feeling was mutual, I can admit she looked beautiful.

I'd actually been following Edward around for the past three weeks. I knew where he lived and worked. I'd seen him and the wife leaving together from the apartment building. I knew she was a nurse at the hospital. After Edward left my office that day things slowly went downhill. There was a disciplinary board investigation into my behavior in the offices. During the investigation I was suspended with pay. When the assholes had finally concluded their little witch hunt I was left without a job. A month ago I was evicted from the apartment. I left Portland shortly after that and came to Seattle. Even though I had never been to the city, I knew exactly where Edward's aunt and uncle lived. It took a week of sitting on their block until I caught the first glimpse of Edward. I followed him home that night. Since then I'd been sitting on the block outside of the apartment building.

As I kept watching I noticed the woman was sitting on a swing, cradling her child while Edward pushed her. He leaned down at one point and kissed her soundly. So much for thinking Edward was just doing his duty with this woman and baby. The love I saw made me look away. I caught her break the kiss and look around. I quickly ducked behind a tree so she wouldn't see me. I had to do something to make him realize that this wasn't the life he wanted. The life Edward wanted was with me!

JamesPOV

I had never really left Bella alone. I'd either followed her myself, or had my new girl Bree follow her for me. I was still fucking Victoria of course, Bree was my stand in Bella. What did I mean? Well, Victoria was the decent fuck, Bree was the girl I could take home to Joe and Kay. Bree was young and naïve, like Bella was when I first started dating her, and would do absolutely anything to please me. She had been the one to tell me that Bella had a new man. After Bree told me that, I took to following Bella around myself. From what I could see, he was more than just a boyfriend. There was a ring on her finger, and I couldn't tell if it was just an engagement ring or if there was also a wedding band. I did know this guy had been practically living with Bella, though.

I had also noticed for the past few weeks that there was a woman following them around. She was keeping her distance from them, which told me, like me, she didn't want to be seen. Today I saw that they had a baby with them. Had my Bella had another man's baby? I hadn't noticed a pregnant belly at all, but there had been that late night rush to the hospital. As I watched them at the park, I became more and more disgusted.

The woman I had seen recently was also watching them, although standing much closer than I was. I decided I needed to find out who this woman was, and possibly enlist her help. I had the perfect plan to hurt both Bella and this new guy. That precious baby that Bella was cuddling so close might just have to go missing.

EPOV

The day after the wedding had been perfect; hell that whole week after the wedding had been perfect. Esme loved our idea for the apartment. She came back to us a couple of days later with the plans. We would have one huge master suite with an equally huge bathroom, three other bedrooms, two other full baths, and an office. When Esme showed Bella the plans for the kitchen I thought she was going to hyperventilate. It was gorgeous; all stainless steel appliances that would be worthy of being in a restaurant. We approved the plans and Esme told me they would be getting started early the following week.

When we told Em and Rose they offered up the guest room at their house for us to stay in while the apartments were being worked on. To both Bella and me this was perfect because it would give us more time with Ethan. Plus it would give Em and Rose a chance to spend more time together without Ethan.

We had also asked Esme about having the wedding in her gardens. Again she was ecstatic. She even gave Bella ideas about what flowers would be best for the bouquets so they would complement the gardens. She said we could have the ceremony in the back gardens, then the cocktail hour in the house and spilling into the front gardens. This would allow for plenty of time to take the chairs down and set up for the reception in the back. We loved the idea. Esme and Carlisle insisted on paying for everything. I had basically been their son since my parent's death, and they thought of Bella like a daughter. We called Renee, hoping she would talk some sense into the two of them. Unfortunately, Esme steamrolled Renee into agreeing by explaining that having them pay for everything would allow Renee more money to spend on Bella's dress. That was all Renee needed to hear. They then conferenced in Alice from her honeymoon. Alice and Renee started making plans to go dress shopping. Bella looked at me and raised her hands.

"Do you even need us here for this?" I finally asked. My aunt's only response was to wave her hand at me. This didn't bode well, our family was taking over the planning of this wedding. "Ladies," they just kept talking over me. "Ladies," I screamed, they all shut up. "Before Bella and I leave you to the planning we just wanted to reiterate the fact that neither of us wants a big wedding. Small is the key here. Alice, whatever you are thinking, cut it in half. Understand?" I heard a chorus of yeses as I picked up Ethan from his playpen and headed for the door.

Two weeks later and the renovations to our apartment were in full swing. We had convinced Rose and Em to take a weekend trip to Vancouver without Ethan for their anniversary. Bella was great at convincing them that they needed some husband and wife time. Even though they were reluctant to leave Ethan for a whole weekend, they did agree to go. Carlisle and Esme were watching him in the morning until Bella and I got finished with our shifts then we both had the whole weekend off to spend with our adorable nephew.

Of course, it wasn't as peachy as it had been the last time we watched the munchkin. Bella got home before I did and Ethan was sleeping soundly, so she sent my aunt and uncle home. When I reached the house an hour later I could tell it was not good. I could hear Ethan screaming all the way outside. I walked in the door to find a very frazzled Bella holding a very unhappy Ethan. After four hours of alternating who was holding him and trying different positions to calm him, we finally caved and called Rose. She said she had mentioned to the doctor that he hadn't been sleeping well at night, crying for long stretches of time most every night of the week. The doctor told her he was colicky, however there was really not much that could be done and he would grow out of it in a few months. Terrific, we would have an inconsolable child for the entire weekend.

Bella had finally gotten him to settle down and he fell asleep for his mid-day nap. I immediately jumped online and found out everything I could about colic. Unfortunately not much is known about the condition. No one seems to know why it occurs or what exactly causes it, although there are theories nothing is concrete, which means there is no concrete course of action to sooth the child. After I gave Bella the news we cuddled on the couch, falling asleep to the sounds of the TV.

I awoke what felt like a short time later. When I looked at the clock I realized it had been close to four hours since Ethan had gone to sleep. Bella was still next to me, resting her head on my shoulder. I gently lifted her before I stood up. I rested her head on a pillow in my place, so I could go check on Ethan. I found it hard to believe he would have been asleep for that long. When I entered his room something just felt wrong. The window was open, a cool breeze coming in blowing the curtains. I walked over and closed the window. When I finally turned to the crib my feeling escalated to panic. The inside of the crib was ripped apart, and one of Ethan's blankets was hanging from the rail. I rushed over and looked inside. I moved everything around inside but he wasn't there.

BPOV

"BELLA!" I was awoken by Edward's scream for me. I shot straight up on the couch. Remembering we had fallen asleep after putting Ethan down for a nap. "Bella, get in here!" I could tell he was in Ethan's room so I sprinted off the couch and up the stairs. When I reached the room I found Edward standing in front of the crib clutching one of Ethan's blankets and his stuffed penguin. I could tell by his face something was wrong.

"Edward, what is it? What's wrong?"

"He's gone," he said, sounding about ready to cry.

"What do you mean he's gone?" I made my way over to Edward's side and looked in the crib. All the usual items were there, but not in their usual order. "Edward, where is he? Where's Ethan? Why is he not in the crib? I put him in there for a nap a few hours ago," I rambled.

"We need to call the police. I came up here to check on him, since I thought it was odd that he had been asleep for four hours. When I got up here the window was open. I closed it since it was very cool out, not quite understanding why it was open. When I looked in the crib, he wasn't there."

Ethan is gone? Em and Rose are going to kill me. I convinced them to go away, and then I lose their son? I heard Edward talking into the phone, but I wasn't sure exactly what he was saying. As sobs wracked my body, I fell to the ground. He couldn't be gone, he just couldn't.

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**A/N: Please please please, no death threats. There will be an HEA to this story, I PROMISE! **

**Next chapter is SLOWLY underway. As soon as it is finished and betaed, you'll get it.**

**Send me those reviews!!!**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: I know it has been more than a month since my last update (I'm surprised I hadn't started to recieve death threats yet...) and I know I can not apologize enough that this took so long. **

**I have been dealing with some serious shit in my RL that has me back on the depression path (it majorly sucks ass). Unfortunately this has meant that I've had no desire to write, and when I did, I usually hated everything I wrote. There were a few times I was in such a foul mood that I ended up having everyone killed, which is NOT where this story is going. So I am so sorry. I can tell you I am starting to come through the other side and am writing easily again. Hopefully updates won't take this long again.**

**The characters belong to Steph, the song to Ray Price, but the plot line is mine...So keep your grubby fingers off!**

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Chapter 16- I gotta have my baby back

_Baby, baby I miss you so very much it hurts me baby  
I just gotta I gotta have my baby back  
Can't sleep, can't eat because I lost my sweet baby sweet  
I gotta I just gotta I gotta have have my baby back  
~ I Gotta Have my Baby Back by Ray Price_

EPOV

Bella was hysterical after she fell to the floor. I called the police in a daze explaining that my nephew was missing. The dispatcher I was talking to wouldn't send any police out, since I wasn't the child's parent. When I explained that my brother-in-law and his wife were out of town and that I had been watching him they finally told me a squad car and forensics team were on the way. I calmed Bella down before making the hardest phone call I ever had to make.

"What's up brother to be? You keep interrupting some amazing time I've been having with my wife."

"Emmett, can you place the phone on speaker so I can talk to both you and Rose at the same time?"

"Eddie, you're scaring me, why do you need to talk to both of us?" He said, really sounding worried, and probably sensing the apprehension in my own voice.

"Just do it, Em"

"Hi, Edward. What's going on? Ethan acting up again?" Rose asked..

"I don't know how to say this gently so I'm just going to say it. Ethan is missing."

"Edward, don't joke with me? What do you mean, Ethan is missing?"

"Umm, Bella and I put him down for a nap earlier this afternoon and then went down to the living room. We had the baby monitor with us, but we fell asleep on the couch. I woke up over four hours later surprised that we hadn't heard a peep out of him. When I went upstairs to check on him, the window in his room was open. I didn't remember Bella leaving it open but didn't think anything of it. I closed the window and then went to the crib. He wasn't in there. I screamed for Bella, who said she hadn't left the window open. I've already called the police and a squad car and a forensics team are on their way over."

Through the phone I heard Rose breakdown into sobs and Emmett trying to sooth her. Then I heard drawers opening and closing in between Rose's sobs.

"I'm packing now, Edward. We'll be home in a few hours. Tell the police we're on our way."

When they got to the house Bella and I apologized profusely, but Em just waved it off. He said it wasn't like we lost him in a store or out in public, he was stolen from the house and that could have happened to anyone. Bella and Rose held each other while the police asked the four of us questions. When they asked if anyone strange had approached us recently with particular interest in Ethan we all said no. All of us except Bella.

"I had a woman approach me at the grocery store when I took him with me the other day. You were working late on that difficult case Rose and the guys were at work. We need some things so I ran to the store with Ethan. I remember her because she looked like she might have been on something, an addict of some sort. She made a comment about how cute he was, and she wanted to have a baby boy that looked just like him. I found it odd, but just thought she was high or crazy."

"Can you remember what she looked like, m'am?" Detective Reid asked.

"Uh, yeah. Um, a couple inches taller than me. Dirty blond hair, which she had pulled back in a ponytail. It looked like she hadn't showered in over a week. She was in a business suit, but it was dirty and wrinkled. Um, blue-grey eyes. She had an angular jaw. Oh, and she was mumbling to herself as I walked off. But I did catch her say something like, 'that should have been my baby.'" I knew some of that description.

I quickly left the room and returned with my laptop. I pulled up the pictures I had saved on it and found what I was looking for.

"Edward, why are you playing on the computer at a time like this?" Rose demanded. "My son is missing, I should hit you for being so, so, unconcerned."

"I'm not playing, Rose, I was looking for a picture. The description sounds vaguely familiar." I turned the computer around, immediately Bella gasped. "Babe, that's the woman that approached you, isn't it?"

Bella nodded her head, fresh tears falling down her face.

"It's Tanya, isn't it?" Bella asked. It was my turn to nod. The detective got all the information out of me that he could. I gave him Tanya's full name, phone number, the address of the apartment I had left her at, and the color and make of her car. They asked if I was able to print the picture off for them, which, unfortunately, I couldn't because we had no printer. He settled for me emailing it to the station. Two cars were posted outside the house, and Detective Reid said as soon as they had any word about Tanya they'd get back to us. After the officers left Rose turned on me.

"Who is this woman, I need to know everything about the woman that has taken my baby."

"Rose, first we don't know if it was her. Although it does sound like she thought Ethan was Edward and my son. Edward it seems like something happened to her. Why would she be so dirty? The woman you told me about sounded much too conceited to look that disheveled."

"Rose, Em, Tanya is my ex. The reason that I moved home. She cheated on me and I walked in on her fucking some guy in our bed. I had been planning on proposing to her. I talked to the captain of my department in Portland the next morning. He got the paperwork going for a transfer for me. I had enough vacation to just take time off. I packed my stuff from the apartment up and moved back to Seattle. When I dropped my apartment key off at her office she was with yet another guy. I told her to fuck off and have a nice life."

We discussed possibilities of what could have happened for a few more hours. I decided to call her direct office line number, hoping we might find out some information of what was going on with her. The voicemail picked up, but it wasn't Tanya's voice speaking. I decided to call her assistant at home, I still had her number in my phone. She answered on the second ring. I explained why I was calling and was surprised by the answer.

"Edward, she was let go a few months ago now. Um, after you left there was an investigation into her conduct at the office. It was found out that she had rarely been doing work, and was abusing company resources. She used her corporate card to pay for hotels that she said were business expenses but were really nights spent away from you with another man. Um, when they told her to pack up her things she told me she had a good amount of savings and would be fine. I had heard she was evicted from the apartment, but I haven't heard anything about her in awhile. Why, something up?"

I told her everything was fine and made a quick escape from the phone call. When I told the others I noticed a light go off in Bella's head.

"She's delusional, Edward. She's had a psychotic break and thinks you two should have been together still. I think she blames you for what is going wrong in her life right now."

We were all exhausted after the discussion of Tanya. We didn't even want to go upstairs, and all ended up crashing on the couches cuddled together.

We waited for two weeks before we heard anything. They had found Tanya's car abandoned on the side of the road. There were two sets of prints found in the car. The one came back unknown, but I knew Tanya didn't have a record and didn't work a municipal job requiring her prints to be on file. The other came back with a prior.

"Do any of you know a James Haley?" Detective Reid asked calmly.

Rose gasped, Emmett cursed, and Bella turned white as a ghost. I had never been told James' last name, but I knew this was him. Em answered for all of us.

"Yes, he's my sister's ex. She kicked him to the curb after she found him in their bed with another woman." The detective nodded his head. He mentioned they were now looking for either of the two for questioning. After the police gave us what information they could, Em whispered to me. "If that fucker is responsible for this, I'll kill him myself."

We tried to go on with our lifes. We worked, we came home, but all we did was sit by the phone. Another week passed. We were all sitting around again, staring into space, waiting for word when the doorbell rang. Em ran to open it. When I heard him yell for Rose I knew Ethan was back. Standing in the doorway was Tanya, holding a bundle of blue blankets. She looked right at me as she started talking.

"Here, he won't stop crying. Take him, please. I can't get hit again trying to protect him. That asshole wanted to kill him when he wouldn't stop crying. I couldn't let him hurt our baby, Edward. I ran away from him. I had to bring him back to you. Eddie wanted his daddy."

While she had been speaking the cops had come up behind her. As Rose took Ethan out of her outstretched arms, the police handcuffed her. I followed them out to the squad car, Bella right at my side. Tanya was whispering her apologies over and over. I wanted to tell her that he wasn't mine, but I didn't have the heart to hurt her more, she looked so broken. Bella and I both looked over Ethan to ensure he was alright. Rose wasn't satisfied by that though, so we called Carlisle to come check on him.

A week later the Detective Reid was back at Rose and Em's door. Bella and I had been packing our stuff to move into the newly renovated apartment. I could tell by the look on his face that he wasn't there with good news.

"I hate to bother you folks again, but I had some news that I felt couldn't be dealt with over the phone. After we took Ms Denali into custody last week we've tried to get information out of her. She was able to tell us where she had been staying, and that the man she referred to while here was indeed Mr. Haley. We stormed the house they had been in, but he was not there anymore. There was a car left in the driveway that was registered to a Joseph and Kathleen Uvas."

"Well that's not surprising, Kay is his mother and Joe is his step-father. The truck he drove was in their names. They spoiled him rotten. You could have just called with that information," Bella said, sounding rather pissed off.

"There is more Miss Sawn. I said Mr. Haley was not in the house. We did, however, find a body in the building, that of a Miss Bree Tanner. She had been raped, strangled, and beaten so badly we needed dental records to identify her. According to Mr. and Mrs. Uvas, Miss Tanner was Mr. Haley's girlfriend for the last few months. We believe he is now using her vehicle, and still have out an APB for him, and that vehicle. Miss Swan, we believe that he will be after you. According to Ms Denali, he also believed that Ethan Swan was your son. This was a plot to hurt you and Mr. Cullen. Obviously, with the discovery of Miss Tanner's body, he is considered dangerous, and now has a warrant out for his arrest for kidnapping and murder. Miss Swan, we are requesting you go into protective custody until Mr. Haley is found."

"No," she said calmer than I would have imagined.

"Baby, what do you mean, 'No'? Didn't you hear him? He said they believe he is after you. Bella, he's murdered someone." I couldn't believe she was declining protective custody.

"No, Edward. I lived in fear of him for over a year. I will not fear him anymore. Protective custody means being placed away from everything, locked in a safe house. I wouldn't be able to work, or see our family. No, I won't do that. Can I make a request though?"

Detective Reid nodded his head.

"I wouldn't turn down an officer or two following me around, sitting outside of my home and work. Following me when I visit my family and friends."

"Of course, Miss Swan. We'll arrange for 24 hour undercover surveillance of you and your loved ones. "

I'd be lying if I said I was ok with this, but it was better than nothing. So with a police escort, Bella and I headed back to our apartment.

**BPOV**

I refused to allow James power over my life anymore. I had feared him enough; I wasn't going to live in his shadow again. I wanted to live my life; go to work, go out with friends, be at home with Edward. I was not going into protective custody.

I knew Edward was upset. In all honesty he was livid, but I stood my ground. He didn't argue with me, knowing it was fruitless. I could be as stubborn as a mule, and he knew there would be no changing my mind.

I couldn't begin to tell you how happy I was about moving back into the Neptune building. I loved being with Em, Rose, and Ethan; but I wanted my own space again. Not to mention I wanted to fuck Edward senseless in every room of our new place. When we got off the elevator onto our floor for the first time to was strange to look over to where our two doors were and only see one. Esme was waiting for us, bouncing from her excitement. _Now I know where Alice gets it from._

"Here, here," she said, handing us both keys to the door. "You are going to love it." Her excitement was even starting to have an affect on me, as I felt a large smile spread over my face.

"You do the honors, love," Edward whispered in my ear.

I took my key and unlocked the door. I pushed it open slowly, before reaching behind me to grasp Edward's hand. We walked through the door together. As the great room came into view I gasped. The entire outside wall was now windows; allowing us a spectacular view of both Lake Union as well as downtown. I turned and looked at the kitchen. It was a foodie's wet dream. Every appliance I could imagine, and then some, were now in my kitchen. Everything was stainless steel and professional grade. I walked over and began to reverently touch every appliance. I touched the top of the eight burner, induction top stove. I opened the doors on my double oven, which even had a convection setting for faster cooking. I looked at the other side of the kitchen and was surprised to see two refrigerators. When I opened the doors it was obvious that one was solely a fridge, the other was a freezer, and both were fully stocked. The counters in the room seemed to stretch for miles, and even with every small kitchen appliance sitting on them there was still plenty of space to do food prep. All of my cookbooks were on a shelf that was easily accessible. I loved it.

After spending what felt like an hour in the kitchen I moved on to the master suite. It was beautiful; with just the right amounts of masculinity and femininity that neither Edward nor I would feel out of place. The dark wood, four poster, California King Bed sat in the middle of the room, draped with a gauzy blue fabric. I immediately felt like I was on an island somewhere. The bedding was a mix of different blues, white, and grey. There was a very large bench at the end of the bed. I noticed Edward look to his aunt who nodded her head and pointed to a remote that sat on the one end table. He ran for the remote like a kid in a candy store and hit a button. I watched in awe as the edge of the bench next to the bed opened and a giant flat screen TV made its way up. I looked at him and only said one sentence.

"That thing will be hidden unless one of us is in bed watching it."

My fiancée showed just how smart he could be and nodded his head. This room was too peaceful of a place to be ruined with a huge TV sitting on display.

We finished up touring the rest of the apartment. We had an office and a powder room next to the master suite, and on the other side of the living room were three guest rooms and a music room for Edward. I hadn't heard him play yet, but his family insisted he was a wonderful pianist and guitarist.

After we gushed over every room, thanking Esme for the millionth time, she excused herself, leaving us alone. I could not wait any longer to christen our new space. I turned to Edward, leaped into his arms, and crashed my mouth to his.

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**So Ethan's back, can I get a cheer?**

**I told you all I had no intentions of hurting that baby.**

**Reviews make me smile!**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Woo Hoo...It's only been alittle over two weeks for this update. Aren't you all proud of me? All I can say is the writing bug hit me and I pounded this chapter out. **

**As always I don't own the characters, or the song...they are SM's (in both respects, lol)**

**Be forewarned, there is a reason this chapter has the song it does. I cover a TON of time here. It moves quickly, so pay attention.**

**Also, I know I originally put in the story that they were getting married the end of spring. I have pushed that back to July to better fit with real timeline (I wanted real dates and this to be a bit closer). So just pretend it has always been July, ok? Ok, thanks! **

**ENJOY!**

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Chapter 17- Fly Like an Eagle

_I want to fly like an eagle_

_To the sea_

_Fly like an eagle_

_Let my spirit carry me_

_I want to fly like an eagle_

_Till I'm free_

_Fly through the revolution_

_Time keeps on slippin', slippin', slippin'_

_Into the future_

_Time keeps on slippin', slippin', slippin'_

_Into the future_

_Time keeps on slippin', slippin', slippin'_

_Into the future_

_Time keeps on slippin', slippin', slippin'_

_Into the future_

_Fly Like and Eagle by the Steve Miller Band_

**EPOV**

I was momentarily stunned when Bella jumped on me, but quickly recovered, kissing her with as much passion as she was kissing me.

"Edward, I need to make this entire apartment ours," she whispered into my ear while taking my earlobe between her teeth. I whimpered when she tugged.

"Baby, it already is." I knew where her thoughts were headed, but I wanted her to say the words. I loved hearing Bella talk dirty.

"Edward," she moaned, as my hand skimmed across her chest. "I want…" she trailed off as I lowered my lips to her collarbone.

"What do you want, love?" I assked as my lips hovered just over her skin.

"Fuck me. I want you to fuck me on every surface of this apartment."

I growled as I started walking us towards the master bedroom.

"No," she growled, knowing where I was taking her. "I don't want slow love making. I want you to fuck me. The kitchen, I want it on the kitchen counter first."

I felt my already hard dick twitch at the thought. The counter was the perfect height, and I couldn't restrain myself any longer. I pulled Bella's shirt over her head and quickly undid the front clasp on her bra. Her glorious boobs bounced free of their restraint. Her nipples were already hard little peaks just calling for my attention. While my hands made their way down to unbutton her jeans, my mouth descended onto one of those pink mounds. Bella gasped and arched her chest up into my face. I removed her pants and underwear together. She was now leaning back on her elbows, completely bare on our counter.

With one hand kneading her breasts, the other hand moved over her center, feeling the heat that was radiating from her. She whimpered as I brushed a finger over her clit. As I pulled my hand away I watched as her hips rose off the counter, seeking more friction. I chuckled, loving the frustration that was etched on her face.

I dropped my head between her legs and sucked her clit in my mouth. She screamed out, before letting her head fall back. I wasted no time in plunging two fingers into her wet center. She cried out again. As I pumped my fingers her words became less coherent, and her breaths came in heavy pants. Her walls started pulsing around my fingers, so I curved my fingers up, brushing her G-spot. She screamed out my name, followed by every expletive her orgasm saturated brain could come up with.

Withdrawing my fingers I looked right at her as I licked all her juices from them.

"Mmmm, that's good," I said with a sexy grin on my face. She just hummed with approval. "But it was just an appetizer. I think I'm ready for the main course."

I was out of my shirt and pants in mere seconds, with the tip of my erection pressed at her entrance.

"Edward, please," my sweet Bella moaned.

I entered her in one long thrust, causing both of us to let out small sounds of pleasure.

"So, tight, Bella. God you feel amazing," I ground out between my teeth. I was barely holding on to my control.

"Move, Edward. I need to feel you move inside of me." She didn't have to tell me twice. I placed her feet on the edge of the counter before pounding into her. It didn't take long before I felt Bella's second orgasm approaching. Knowing there was no way I could hold on much longer, I moved my thumb down between us and started rubbing her clit, matching the pace of my thrusts.

"Baby, I'm gonna cum. Cum with me, love," I managed to get out.

Her walls clamped around me and she screamed my name just as I pushed into her one last time, emptying myself. I leaned down, resting my forehead against hers as we both fought to catch our breaths. Before pulling out of her I placed my hands beneath her, lifting her off the counter. Before she could protest, I carried her to our new Master bedroom. I placed her on the bed, before crawling in next to her. I pulled her into my arms, whispering my love to her.

"I love you, too, Edward. Rest up; there are still a lot of rooms in this apartment to christen."

I couldn't help but laugh as we both fell asleep.

**BPOV**

I could not believe how fast the last few months had gone. Halloween came and went. I was at work that night, and Edward was on Medic One, so we both missed Ethan's first time in costume. He was the cutest little half hatched chick. Between all of our family there were plenty of photos to see what he looked like. He was in a yellow, long sleeved onesie with a hat that looked like half an egg and shorts that looked like the other half. They carted him around in a wagon that his bumbo chair was in, surrounded with straw to look like a nest. When I saw the pictures I looked at Rose questioningly. Her only response was, "Alice"; which was really the only explanation needed.

Surprisingly everyone had off for Thanksgiving, so I offered to host the family gathering at our new apartment. I wanted to show the place off, and use everything that glorious kitchen had to offer. On top of the locals: Jasper, Alice, Rose, Emmett, Ethan, Carlisle, and Esme; we also invited Renee, Billy, Jake, Peter, and Charlotte. Jake called me a week before the big meal needing to ask me something.

"What's up, Jake? I've missed talking to you recently," I said.

"Yeah, sorry Bells. I've been, um, busy. So, can I, um, ask you something about Thanksgiving?"

"Sure, ask away." I really wanted to know what had Jake so nervous he was stuttering through sentences.

"Well, I was wondering if it would be ok, I mean I'm sure you have the meal figured out for a set number of people already and couldn't swing it, but I said I'd ask," Jake rambled on. I got fed up and broke in.

"Jake, you're rambling, so stop. What do you want to know?"

"Oh, sorry. Well would it be ok, if, um, I brought someone, uh, with me? To dinner I mean?"

I started silently laughing in my head, not wanting to upset or embarrass Jake more than he already was. I couldn't help but tease him though.

"Would this someone be a "Lady Friend", Jake?" I questioned him.

I didn't hear an answer from him and could just imagine him on the other end of the phone shaking his head no before quickly shaking it up and down in affirmation.

"I'll take your silence as yes to my previous statement. That's fine, Jake. We will have more than enough food."

He thanked me and hung up, not giving me any more information. I could have been a horrible gossip and called Renee, but I didn't feel the need.

The dinner itself went off without a hitch. Well, I lie; there was one small hitch, which involved Renee thinking she could bake a pie. She didn't know how the ovens worked, and being that I get my stubbornness from her, she refused to ask for help. She ended up setting the pie on fire. Thankfully, my wonderful brother and fiancée had insisted on two fire extinguishers in the room and I was able to save the oven from needing to be replaced.

Although my meal was wonderful there was a cloud of despair over the day. James had still not been caught, and I was starting to get anxious. I had never known him to be a patient man, so the fact that he hadn't made a move was confusing everyone that knew him. He was still considered dangerous, so I still had my police escort. I felt bad about keeping them away from their families on Thanksgiving so I called Detective Reid and had him give me a place that I could put a packaged meal of leftovers for the two men. I ended up leaving it at the front desk of the building for them to pick up.

I did enjoy meeting Jake's girlfriend, Vanessa; who insisted on being called Nessie. She was a sweetheart. I was more than a tiny bit surprised when she walked in. She was taller than me by a few inches, but still shorter than Jake. Her skin was like fresh cream, so light and smooth looking. The thing that got to me was her hair and eyes; the hair being the same color as Edward's and her eyes making me feel like I was looking in a mirror. If it weren't for the fact that she was only a few years younger than Edward and I, I would have sworn she could have been our child. She fit right in with my family and friends, which I noticed pleased Jake a lot. Nessie was from Seattle and Jake had met her a month before when he had literally run into her after leaving one of the shops he frequented. They both said it was love at first sight, feeling this inexplicable pull toward the other. They had spent very little time apart since that day. Jake was even making plans to move to Seattle, since Billy was now living with mom.

As Christmas approached you'd think that my time would have been spent working or shopping for gifts. Unfortunately, I also had to fit in dress shopping trips. Renee and Alice were two women on a mission. They took me to 5 different bridal boutiques before deeming everything unacceptable for me. This of course led to Alice deciding to make my dress.

So on the last shopping weekend before Chistmas, instead of being at the mall getting the last of my gifts; I was being subjected to measurements of every single part of my body. Alice had already designed the dress on paper. She just wanted my ok on it, and of course my measurements, before she started work on it. If I knew Alice though, and I know her pretty well, she had already started work on the dress.

She did this huge reveal in her office for me. She had the design blown up to an 18"x20" sized poster instead of just the small design notebook. The poster was currently sitting on an easel draped in a dark fabric.

"Ok. So I thought about this for a very long time," Alice said rather seriously. I couldn't help but burst out laughing. She looked at me with one of those death glares.

"Alice, come on, it's only been two weeks since you and my mother decided that no dress was good enough for me. You didn't think of it that long."

"Fine, whatever. I took into account location and time of year while making my design, and I think this will be just perfect. Without further ado, your wedding gown, bestest friend of mine," she squealed and with a flourish of her hands, pulled the drape from the easel.

I gasped. It really was perfect. I stood up and walked over to get a closer look. The dress was floor length and strapless. It was completely covered in lace. It had an empire waist, accented with a stain band that was to be tied in a loose not and hang down the train of the dress. The top edge was just lace, making it look scalloped. The bottom edge was going to be the same, but with the lace scallops larger than the top. About a foot from the bottom of the dress there was a division line that the lace switched from the style on top to that on the bottom. The two laces meeting made a beautiful defined focus. When I turned to Alice she was grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

"I can tell by your face you love it. I knew you would, which is why I started work on it last week. The lining of the dress is taking shape. It will be easier to do now that I have your measurements. I should have it done by beginning of May for you to try on, and then I'll have a little over a month to make the tiny alterations that will undoubtedly need to be down so it looks perfect on you. I'm thinking that Rose and I shouldn't wear off the rack either. I mean, any dress we buy will just look cheap next to my wonderful creation." I held up a hand effectively stopping her rant.

"Whatever you want, Alice. You know I'm not really into the details. As long as it is a small gathering at your parents' house and I get to be Mrs. Edward Masen at the end of it, I could care less about everything else."

Alice's response was to squeal and jump up and down. She hugged me before promising to make everything perfect.

Christmas came and went pretty quick, like it did every year. Unfortunately I had to work Christmas since I had off Thanksgiving. We decided to celebrate as a family the day after the actual holiday with everyone making the trip to Forks. I led the way into the house, surprised that my mother had not come running out to greet us. Mom, Billy, Jake, and Nessie were sitting in the living room. Nessie was just glowing. We all said hello from the doorway drawing the four people's attention. Before anything else could be said Nessie jumped up and was talking a mile a minute. I didn't catch anything she said until she shoved her ring finger in my face on which a small but elegant ring sat. I knew that ring. It had been Sarah Black's, Jacob's mother.

I squealed and jumped around hugging Nessie and then Jake. Yes it was fast, but when you know, you just know. I mean, Edward and I were practically living together only weeks after first meeting, I was not the person to judge my best friend.

Of course New Year's quickly followed Christmas. Edward and I toasted the New Year by ourselves, kissing sweetly as the clock struck midnight.

Valentine's Day didn't really happen this year, since I worked a triple. Edward was wonderful, cooking me meals and bringing them to me at the hospital. When I got home after spending close to 48 hours in the emergency room, I found a spotless but empty apartment. Sitting on the counter was a jewelry box that obviously held a bracelet, I could tell just by the shape. Under it was a note.

_Sorry I couldn't be here when you got home, Love. But duty calls. Open the box, and imagine me whispering Happy Valentine's Day to you. This is just the beginning my dear, sweet, Isabella. There is a plate in the fridge for you. Make sure you eat before going to bed. See you soon. Love, Edward_

I opened the box and was right, it was a bracelet. It was a silver link bracelet, and from the looks of it, the start of a charm bracelet since there were three items hanging from the chain. There was a little stethoscope, a tiny fireman's helmet, and a mini diamond ring. I figured it out quickly. They symbolized me, him, and us. I had a feeling I would now get charms for every major event in our lives. I ate the meal Edward had made for me, which was pretty decent, he was learning fast from me and cookbooks that he actually could cook. After putting my plate in the dishwasher I crawled into bed.

Even though I knew time wasn't moving this fast, it felt like when I opened my eyes the next morning it was already the end of May and I was yet again headed to Forks.

Mom and Billy had decided to get married at the courthouse with just family to be witnesses. There was going to be a small ceremony at La Push the next day to honor the Quileute ways. Both ceremonies were great and made we want July to come quickly. Edward must have had the same thoughts as me because he walked up behind me wrapping his arms around my waist and nuzzling my neck.

"I can't wait for that to be us, love," he whispered in my ear. "Only another few weeks and I get to call you my wife."

The weekend of Mom and Billy's wedding just happened to end with Memorial Day, the unofficial start to summer. Sunday was a huge party at First Beach. It was a great time, with the sun even making an appearance for most of the day. Of course it was too cold to go in the water, but no one seemed to mind. We ended the night with a huge bonfire on the cliffs over the beach. Billy took his normal seat with the elders. I had been attending these bonfires since I was a child and knew what was to come, but this would be Edward first time there. We took a seat on one of the large logs right next to Jake and Nessie. I watched the man of my dreams as the legends of the Quileute people were told. The stories were inspiring and lovely, and I could see the awe showing on Edward's face as he listened intently. Billy released the gathering after finishing the last legend. As I stood Edward asked me to wait a minute while he went over to Billy. I could see them conversing and then Billy clapped Edward on the back with a big smile.

"What was that about?" I inquired when he reached my side.

"Just thanking Billy for allowing us pale faces to hear the history of the tribe," he said smirking.

The smirk made me question whether or not he was being truthful, but I decided not to push the subject. I trusted him and if he wanted me to know, he'd tell me.

When we got back to Seattle the next morning Edward went to sleep right away since he was running with Medic One that night, and would need to be alert. I went to start our dirty laundry from the weekend, but quickly realized we were out of detergent. I didn't bother waking Edward, just left him a note in case he woke while I was gone. I grabbed my purse and left the apartment, locking the door behind me. I was surprised to see a maintenance man in the elevator with me considering it was a holiday. I said hello to him, the only response I got being a slight raise of his head, but not enough to actually see his face.

As the elevator reached the ground floor the maintenance guy started moving forward to the door, like he was trying to make a quick escape of the elevator. As the ding sounded announcing that the doors would be opening he turned around quickly. As he turned around and raised his head I felt a scream bubble up, but I was so frozen with fear that the sound escaped my lips in a puff of air.

"Hello Isabella. Did you miss me?" James asked just before everything went black.

**I am sorry, I am sorry, I. AM. SORRY! Please, no death threats...they do not motivate me to write. Happy reviews motivate me.**

**I can understand if people need clarification on anything that happened (there was a LOT that went on in this chapter), just leave me a review and I will try and clear up any confusion.**

**My hope is to get the next chapter out before the end of June (because I would like to get the wedding out around the wedding date of July 10) but I am making NO guarantees since the next few weeks will be EXTREMELY busy. I will be making a trip to Buffalo, NY this weekend (June 12th), have a bachelorette party for my cousin the next weekend (June 19th), as well as a whole ton of baseball games to attend (if anyone is reading HunterHuntings _Misapprehension of Bella Swan Regarding the Inferior Intellect of Hockey Whores_ and knows the Hockey Hookers in that story...I am so a Baseball Hooker [if not reading it you should be, so go search for it] ). As long as this writing bug doesn't remove his hold on me I should get it out soon.**

**See you all in chapter 18!**

**3 Manda  
**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: I know I know I know…I can't say sorry enough. Things have been crazy the last few weeks (like I told you all they would). This has left me with little time to write. I also will admit I struggled on how to make this chapter work. I really didn't want to have an overly violent chapter. The POVs jump back and forth between Bella and Edward. **

**I really hope you all enjoy the chapter**

**As always, I don't own the characters (who are SM's) and the song is owned by Evanescence.**

Chapter 18- Missing

_Please, please, forgive me  
But I won't be home again  
I know what you do to yourself  
I breathe deep and cry out  
"Isn't something missing?  
Isn't someone missing me?"_

Even though I'm the sacrifice  
You won't try for me, not now  
Though I'd die to know you love me  
I'm all alone  
Isn't someone missing me?

_Missing By Evanescence_

**EPOV**

I woke up to a too quiet apartment. I knew Bella would be keeping it down so I could sleep, but there was no noise at all. No music or voices from a random TV program were coming under the door. I got out of bed and went looking for my gorgeous fiancée. She wasn't in the living room, or the kitchen. As I started out of the kitchen to continue searching I saw a note on the counter.

"We're out of detergent. Ran to the store, should be back soon. Love, Bella."

I was wondering what time she left when the front door opened. I turned expecting to see Bella walking in but was surprised to see my cousin and her husband coming through the door.

"Hey, Hot Pants! Where's my bestest friend?"

"The store according to her note, but I have no clue when she left," I said as Alice snatched the note out of my hand. "Oh, and Alice, you might want to start knocking, or calling before you use your key. What if Bella and I had been going at it in the middle of the living room?"

Alice had no response to my question, just looked at me with a disgusted face. Jasper and I couldn't help but laugh at her. They took a seat in the living room while I made myself something to eat right now, and a sandwich to take with me for later in the night. We talked about a bunch of random topics. I looked at the clock noticing it had been an hour since I'd gotten up and Bella still wasn't back.

I didn't want to say anything to Alice or Jasper, but I was starting to get worried. It shouldn't have taken her this long to get detergent.

"Uh, Edward?" Alice asked. I looked right at her and she continued, "It really shouldn't be taking her this long to get detergent. Maybe we should have Detective Reid check in with the guys out front. They'd at least know what time she left." She had a point, the cops stationed out front to watch her every move would know when she left and where she was, since they would be following her.

I nodded my head and reached for my phone on the coffee table. I explained to the detective why we were calling he said he'd check in with his men and get back to me. Five minutes after we hung, Detective Reid was calling me back.

"Edward, Bella never left the apartment building. Her car is still in the lot and my men did not see her walk out the front door." I dropped the phone as I fell to my knees. I noticed Jasper pick up the phone and keep talking with Detective Reid. I knew my worst fear had just come true, James had gotten to Bella.

**BPOV**

I woke up with a massive headache. I tried to move my hands up to cradle my aching head, but couldn't. My hands were bound behind my back. Where am I? I couldn't seem to remember what had happened.

"Good, you're awake," I'd know that voice anywhere. It belonged to the man that I once thought I was going to marry. It all came back to me then; laundry detergent, elevator, James. I started to scream, realizing after I started that I was gagged and no sound could be heard. "Don't bother, bitch. Even if I didn't have you gagged, no one would be able to hear you. Val and Brian have a cabin outside the city that they never use and those stupid fuckers don't have an alarm system. We are miles from the next house. Now, I'm going to ask you some questions, and you are going to answer me after I remove the gag. Understand?"

I nodded my head. He reached down and removed the gag from my mouth.

"You know you are mine, Bella?"

I nodded again.

"I told you you would always be mine and that I would come back for you. I never expected to find you with a husband and baby when I did, though."

"He's not my son, James. Ethan is Emmett and Rose's little boy, my nephew. And Edward is just my fiancée, not my husband," I told him, hoping that would help.

"Well, I guess I don't have to kill the kid then, although he was pretty damn annoying when that bitch and I took him. Kid wouldn't shut up. Our kids will never be like that, Bella. They will be well behaved. My parents have missed you. They constantly ask about you, which was really awkward in front of the little slut I had doing all my dirty work for the past few months. Guess the cops found her body." He stopped his rant and walked away. I took this as my opportunity to throw him off.

"The police will find us James. Let me go now and I'll make sure they get you the help you need. You wouldn't necessarily go to jail."

He rounded on me quickly and pinned me to the floor by a hand to my throat.

"What? You think I'm crazy. I'm not crazy, Bella," he said. He didn't let up on my throat and I was getting light headed. I prayed for the blackness again. Wanting to escape him and wait for Edward and Detective Reid to save me, because I knew they would.

**EPOV**

"Edward, you need to calm down," Jasper said as he linked his arms with mine behind my back, restraining me from reaching my intended target. Detective Reid had just showed up and when I saw him come through my door I had lunged for him. I was blaming him, well and his team, for Bella going missing.

"Jasper, let me go. It's his fault. If he would have just insisted Bella go into protective custody until they found James, especially after that other girl was found, this wouldn't be happening."

"Edward, STOP!" my cousin screamed at me. "This is not the Detective's fault. It is James' fault. He's the only one to blame!" She started to cry and all the wind fell from my angry sails.

I must have relaxed enough for Jasper to know I was no longer a threat to Detective Reid. He released me before grabbing his wife to console her.

"Edward, we are doing everything we can to find her," Reid told me. "His family has all been taken into custody for questioning. We will find her Edward, I promise you." His promise didn't make me feel better, but I knew the man and his staff were working hard. I just had to be patient and let them do their job.

It felt like days later, but was probably only a few hours, Detective Reid's phone started ringing causing everyone in the room to jump. It had been quiet for about the last hour, everyone trying to get some sleep. Alice and Jasper were still here and had been joined by the rest of our family, who had tried to keep me occupied, but I just wasn't interested.

"Reid," he answered. I started listening to his one sided conversation. "Uh huh. Yeah. WHAT? How did we not know about this sooner? What do you mean we didn't look into the step-sister? Why the hell not? Fine, I'm on my way. I want the locals up there notified immediately," he said as he pressed the end button on his phone. "Edward, we've got a lead. Seems we missed looking into the step-sisters holdings. They aren't very close, so there really didn't seem to be a need. Turns out that she owns a hunting lodge with her husband up near Lake Cavanaugh that is very secluded. Locals are being contacted now. I'm heading into the station then up there myself. I have a good feeling about this, Edward. It seems like a good place for him to have taken her if he wanted to be alone and not found."

All I could do was nod my head. He motioned to one of the uniformed officers instructing him to stay with us while everyone else was heading out with Reid. I really hoped Reid's feeling was right

**BPOV**

I awoke this time to water dripping on my face.

"I like when the women I'm going to fuck are awake. Then again, what does it matter, you were always like a wooden board during sex anyways. You were a horrible fuck, Bella. I'd been seeing Victoria for months before you found us together. She was in that bed of ours with me more times than you were. Joe just never would have approved of her, so I kept you around since he seemed to be fond of you. Worked to both our advantages, since you were getting money out of him too. Did you know he fired me when he heard we broke up? I guess him catching me fucking Vic on my desk at work didn't really help. That's why I found Bree. She was willing to do all my dirty work following you around, and she was the perfect replacement for you to get back in their good graces. You know, I always wanted to hit you while we fucked, but I had to be sweet with you. Now it doesn't matter." He pulled me off the chair and threw me onto the floor. He began to punch me in the face and body before he pulled at my pants. He had them down to my knees when his head snapped up. As he stopped moving I heard what had gotten his attention, there was a car coming up the drive. James threw me onto the couch, which faced away from the windows and then dove on top of me.

"Make a sound, and I'll kill you," James said shoving a gun that had been on the coffee table into my side.

I heard heavy footsteps on a wooden surface. I could tell immediately that they were police issued boots having listened for that same sound everyday of my childhood. That sound had always announced that my dad was home. The footsteps got closer and I heard a knock on the door. The person knocked a few more times when it sounded like the steps retreated back down the stairs. I hoped that there was a second person checking outside the house.

We laid there for what felt like hours. I didn't hear a vehicle start up, or the car go back down the drive. James decided he was done just laying there. He started fondling me until he heard the sound he wanted to hear, the car leaving. He left me on the couch and pulled my pants the rest of the way off. He shoved the gun next to my head letting me know I wasn't to make a sound. He opened his pants enough to get his dick out. I must have made a noise because he hit me in the head with the gun. My vision doubled and my ears must have been ringing because I swore I heard a car again.

I felt James' hands around my throat. The blackness was creeping back in, I knew this was probably the last time I'd be awake. My thoughts were only on Edward. I wished I'd be able to tell him I loved him one last time. As I slipped into unconsciousness yet again I swore I heard sirens and then a megaphone telling James to come out.

**EPOV**

There was nothing to do but sit and wait to hear from Detective Reid. My aunt tried to force food on me but I wasn't hungry. Jasper tried to shove a glass of whiskey into my hand, telling me to drink, but I couldn't. As everyone else dozed on and off, I sat alert the entire time. I didn't want to be asleep when they found Bella. I knew Lake Cavanaugh was about an hour's drive from Seattle doing the speed limit; I wondered how fast Reid would be driving to get there.

My brain was working overtime worrying. Were they there or did James have her hidden someplace else? Was she ok? Was he hurting her at all? If they were at this cabin would Reid make it there in time? Would Bella be alive?

That one made me stop. She had to be alive. I don't what I'd do if she wasn't. I don't think I could live without her.

At some point I must have fallen asleep, because I was awoken by a phone ringing. It was the officer who had stayed with us.

"Yes, sir. I'll get them there. I'll call in back-up, sir. I'll call it in now." The phone call ended and I heard a radio crackle to life before the door opened and then closed, blocking out the noise. The officer came back about five minutes later. "Ladies and gentleman, I have been instructed to drive you to Cascade Valley Hospital."

Those few words made my life fall apart.

**BPOV**

I woke to a blinding light and an incessant beeping. Where the hell am I?

Once my eyes became accustomed to the light, I noticed a head of bronze hair lying on the bed next to me. Looking around the room I figured out quickly I was in the hospital. I couldn't quite remember why. When I tried to speak I realized something was taped to my mouth. I reached up and touched the breathing tube coming out of my mouth. That was when it all came back to me. James had hit me with the gun before choking me again. He hadn't succeeded in killing me though.

I reached out and touched Edward's head, waking him from his slumber. He started screaming for nurses when he saw I was awake.

I tuned out the doctors when they told me what had happened; in all honesty I had no desire to know. As long as both Edward and I were alive, nothing else mattered.

I was released from the hospital two days later. James had been killed by the police when they stormed the cabin. Joe and Kay came to see me the morning I was released, offering up apologies to me. I hugged them both, saying I was sorry for their loss. They waved off my condolences, saying it was not deserved. Kay whispered to me that she would have been more upset had James killed me, than she was with him being dead. He hadn't been the son she raised for a long time.

I was happy everything was over. Now the only worry we had, was our wedding in little less than a month.

**So, what did we think?  
I know that this weekend is supposed to be the wedding we have been waiting for. Unfortunately, it won't be out, so we'll have to suspend time until it gets out. I'm hoping to have it finished shortly. The song is already picked out, and is perfect for our two lovebirds. **

**Here is some info on what is coming up…Next chapter will be the wedding, and the chapter after that will be the honeymoon (both of which I will have to say thank you to my cousin for the ideas, I am "stealing" her wedding and honeymoon for the story, tehehe). Then we will be jumping in time a bit to continue on with the story**

***for those of you wondering, this was not where the prologue fits into this story…we've still got a little while until that happens…plus you'll know when it come in, because you'll see the same paragraph***

**REVIEW PLEASE!**


	19. Chapter 19

A/N: Hey, I think I did pretty good getting this out (it hasn't been a month or more…)

Please enjoy.

As always I do not own the characters, they belong to Steph. I do not own the song, the belongs to the very talented Steve. I OWN the plot…so hands off!

* * *

Chapter 19- I Will Be Here

_If in the morning when you wake,  
If the sun does not appear,  
I will be here.  
If in the dark we lose sight of love,  
Hold my hand and have no fear,  
I will be here.  
I will be here,  
When you feel like being quiet,  
When you need to speak your mind I will listen.  
Through the winning, losing, and trying we'll be together,  
And I will be here._

_If in the morning when you wake,  
If the future is unclear,  
I will be here.  
As sure as seasons were made for change,  
Our lifetimes were made for years,  
I will be here.  
I will be here,  
And you can cry on my shoulder,  
When the mirror tells us we're older.  
I will hold you, to watch you grow in beauty,  
And tell you all the things you are to me.  
We'll be together and I will be here.  
I will be true to the promises I've made,  
To you and to the one who gave you to me.  
I will be here._

_~I Will Be Here by Steven Curtis Chapman_

BPOV

The month after I got out of the hospital flew by. Everyone tried to get me to talk about what happened, but I insisted I was fine. James hadn't done anything that couldn't be fixed. Sure I had a bump on my head and some bruises around my neck, but I knew that, like my mother had always said, it would be gone before I was married. Edward had insisted the doctors run every test that was available. I told him they were unnecessary, but he wouldn't listen to me. Even Carlisle couldn't convince him that I didn't need all the tests. Finally when my doctor told him he would be forcibly removed from the room if he didn't calm down, he settled into a chair, accepting that my doctors were correct.

I had no desire to talk about what happened. He was finally gone from my life, gone from this world; I never had to worry about him again. Everyone continued to tip-toe around me, especially when it came to mentioning anything related to the incident. No one would let things get back to normal, which was all I wanted. I was still having nightmares, but those only occurred on nights (or days) that I had to sleep alone.

I was really disappointed when Rose, Mom, and Esme made Alice cancel the Bachelorette Party that she had planned. When I was told I threw a temper-tantrum; the first one of my adult life. No one thought I could handle it. I wanted to go out and have a good time with my girlfriends one last time as a single lady. The more I screamed and yelled, the more willing Esme and my mother were to comply with my request. Rose, however, stood steadfast in her decision. Esme, my savior, came up with a compromise. Instead of going out for dinner and then clubbing, we would go out to dinner and then all come back to my apartment. Edward would be banished to the Cullen House, Whitlock apartment, or Swan House to spend time with the guys. Once back we would have a girls' night in. This would include mani/pedis, facials, drinking, naughty games, and some fun shaped food and desserts. Rose finally conceded.

The night of my bachelorette party we had everyone meet at the apartment. From there we took a limo party bus to Monsoon. My friends and family shoved all kinds of crazy presents on me, ranging from some tame night gowns from my mother and Esme, to vibrators, dildos, and butt plugs from Rose. I blushed profusely when I opened that bag. Of course everyone wanted the items pulled out of the bag; thank god we had a private room at the restaurant. The upscale Vietnamese cuisine was scrumptious, causing us all to overindulge. We drank heavily on the way back to my apartment. Alice of course had thought ahead. Knowing we would be drunk, she had hired a team of massage specialists and manicurists to come pamper us for the evening. The last thing I could remember was getting on one of the massage tables.

I woke the next morning with a headache the size of Montana.

"Morning, my love!" Edward said way too cheerily.

"Ugh," I moaned before rolling over pulling my pillow over my head.

"Here, take these. And drink all of this water. It'll make you feel better." I peeked out from under my pillow to see two bottles of water and a couple of Tylenol being placed on the bedside table.

"Thanks," I whispered, fearing what speaking any louder would do to my head. "How are you not hungover? You were supposed to have your bachelor party last night," I inquired.

"I know how to handle my liquor. Plus, since we had Ethan to watch we stayed pretty tame," he said smirking at me. He rubbed my back a few times before getting off the bed. "Maybe you should learn your limit."

"Shut up, Asshole!" All I heard in response was laughter as my fiancée left the room. I drank the water, taking the 3 Tylenol that Edward had left for me. I climbed out of bed and headed into the shower. Standing under the spray helped make me feel better. I climbed out of the shower, dressing comfortably, knowing I had a bunch of things to finish for the wedding.

When I called Esme to find out what I had to help out with for the wedding, I was told that I had two responsibilities. One was to have a final fitting for my dress; the other was to make sure I made it to her house for the rehearsal dinner. After the dinner I would be staying there with Alice, Rose, Mom, and Esme, while the guys went to my apartment to spend the night with Edward.

My final fitting with Alice that afternoon went great. The dress fit like a glove and I couldn't wait for Edward to see me in it. With nothing else to do the next five days passed at a snail's pace. I wasn't cleared to go back to work yet after my encounter with James, so I tried to find something to keep my interest, nothing worked. I tried reading, but finally put the book down after I read the same page 4 times. I turned on the TV, but just flipped through the channels not really seeing anything. I went down to the fitness center of the building, but Edward had instructed the staff that I wasn't allowed in. I reorganized the kitchen, but that only took up one day. I then alphabetized our CD collection, wasting another day. The DVD collection was next, but that only took a half a day. I cooked an extravagant dinner that night, making far too much food causing me to invite all my friends over for dinner. I mentioned wanting to pack for our honeymoon at dinner. Alice and Edward both told me know. Edward was keeping the destination a secret, and if he allowed me to pack I'd figure it out. This meant Alice was packing everything I would need for our three week trip. No one would allow me to drive, going as far to take away all my car keys. I was trapped at the apartment, meaning for two days I sat twiddling my thumbs and fighting off the nightmares I had every time I slept without Edward.

Finally it was the morning of the rehearsal dinner and I was yanked from my bed by Tinker-Hell at an ungodly hour. In all honesty I can't even remember most of that day and night. After the slow, boring days that I had leading up to that day, the rehearsal went so fast nothing registered in my brain. I just hoped Emmett remembered when we were to walk down the aisle. I fell asleep in Edward's old room at the Cullen home that night with dreams of pretty brown-eyed, bronze haired little girls and handsome green-eyed, brown haired little boys running around.

"Bella?" I could hear Alice whispering in my ear. I tried to ignore her, but she would not let up. "Bella," she said a bit louder. When I still didn't acknowledge her she screamed right into me ear. "Bella! Get up!"

I opened my eyes and finally acknowledged her.

"I'm up, I'm up. Stop your yelling, Pixie. What time is it anyways?" I asked.

"6:30AM. Get out of bed, we need to have the hairdresser start on your hair, then get your makeup done." What the hell? 6:30, was she serious?

"Alice, my wedding isn't until four this afternoon. I really don't need to be up this early."

"Yes, you do. We barely have enough time to get everything done by four. Now, out of bed, you are putting us behind schedule!" I was then unceremoniously yanked from my bed and thrown in the shower. "Hurry it up. By arguing with me you have cut your shower time in half. Ten minutes and I'm coming in to get you. Whether you are finished or not."

"Ok, wedding Nazi, whatever you say," I quipped back sarcastically. The little one was getting on my last nerve. I quickly showered and dried off. Just as I wrapped the towel around me, Alice appeared with a robe for me to wear. It was emblazoned with 'Future Mrs. Masen' across the back. It was very similar to the one Alice had worn the morning of her own wedding. Her and Rose were in similar robes that were the exact color of the dresses they would be wearing later. I was seated in a salon chair that the hairdresser had brought with her, and prepared myself for the next few hours of torture.

Surprisingly, before I knew it the photographer was arriving and to get shots of us getting ready. Alice and rose dressed quickly, and then came in to help me into my dress. I knew we were dressing and then going out back for bridesmaid photos, my bride photos, and some family shots with my mom and Em. The guys were inside, secluded in the basement so Edward couldn't see me. When we were done I was rushed back upstairs to a room in the front of the house so I couldn't see out back while the boys' photos were taken.

A knock sounded at the door, and I looked at the clock. It was quarter to four, time to go downstairs to get me married. Alice opened the door and my bear of a brother was on the other side.

"You ready, Bells?" he asked me.

"Yes, Em. Let's go." Em offered me his arm and the girls started down the stairs. Emmett didn't follow them though.

"Bella, I just wanted to tell you something before we go down there. I know you wish Dad could be here today, I felt the same way during my own wedding. But I know he looking down, and I know he has a smile on his face. You look gorgeous, Bells. Edward is a great guy, who I think Dad would have even approved of for you. I just know he would tell you how proud of you he is if he were here. Just remember, he loved us, very much, and is always with us."

By the end of Em's little speech I had tears running down my face. I knew Dad was there with me, I had felt him a few times during the morning, and especially during the family photos we had taken earlier. I hugged my brother, dried my eyes, and pulled Em downstairs; it was time to get me married.

EPOV

The morning had passed slowly for me. I woke up lonely in our bed, Bella having been sequestered by her mother and my aunt at the Cullen home. I talked to her during the torturous morning she was enduring having her hair and makeup done.

When I arrived at the house with my uncle, my aunt quickly shooed us down to the basement so I wouldn't accidentally see Bella. Getting dressed in my suit, and then the photos the followed were a blur to me. I kept looking at my watch, the one that my father had worn on his wedding day, counting down the hours until Bella would be my wife.

My cousin, who had been deemed the Wedding Nazi by everyone, came down to the basement at 3:30. She instructed Emmett to follow her upstairs and told the rest of us to head out to the arbor that Bella and I would say our vows under. The small gathering of guests was a bit larger than we had originally wanted, but still nowhere near the size of Alice's wedding. Some of the guys from the station shook my hand as I walked up the aisle to take my place in the front.

Shortly after that the wedding processional started. Renee had opted to care Ethan down the aisle instead of having Em walk her down and then go back for Bella. Bella had originally asked Renee to walk her to me, but she had refused. She insisted that since Charlie was not around, Emmett should give Bella away. The two had cried on the phone and argued for hours. Bella finally relented. My aunt and uncle were next. Once my aunt was seated and Carlisle was standing next to me as my best man, the music changed.

Rose appeared first. Her short green bridesmaid dress swished at her knees as she walked to where I was standing.

"Hurt her, and I hurt you," she whispered as she passed me. I gulped back my fear, because Rose could be quite intimidating, causing Carlisle and Jasper to chuckle softly.

Alice was next, practically dancing to the spot opposite her father. Once she was in place the music changed again. I looked up and the wind was immediately knocked out of me. My angel was walking toward me. She looked so tiny next to her brother, but not at all fragile. She was smiling and when her eyes locked with mine, everything around me faded. She truly was a vision. The dress was gorgeous, and even though I knew she had sat in a salon chair for three hours this morning, she didn't look over done. She was Bella, but enhanced. She was perfect. When they reached me, I stepped down the one small step to collect my bride. I shook hands with Em, receiving the same threat the Rose had given me before taking Bella's hand in mine and stepping up to the officiate.

"Who gives this woman's hand in marriage?"

"Her mother, and I, her big, loveable brother, do," Em answered, getting some giggles out of our guests.

The ceremony progressed. I'll admit that I really didn't pay attention to it; my eyes were locked on Bella the whole time. We were facing each other with our hands clasped between us. I knew the officiate, Lois, was speaking but I wasn't really hearing what she was saying. That was until I heard laughing coming from the guests. I looked out, then back to Bella and noticed her face seemed worried.

"I'm sorry, what was that?"

"Seems our groom was off in La La Land. I said, Edward, do you take Bella to be your wife? Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health, for richer, for poorer, for better, for worse, in sadness and in joy, to cherish and continually bestow upon her your heart's deepest devotion, forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto her as long as you both shall live?"

"I do," I said loud and clear, looking right into Bella's eyes. She squeezed my hands as we both turned our attention back to Lois.

"And do you Bella take Edward to be your husband? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health, for richer, for poorer, for better, for worse, in sadness and in joy, to cherish and continually bestow upon him your heart's deepest devotion, forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto him as long as you both shall live?"

"I do," she whispered as tears of joy streamed down her face.

Lois continued on to explain the meaning of the wedding rings symbolizing the unbroken circle that our lives together have made. I was eagerly awaiting the next part, slipping the ring onto Bella's finger. Lois spoke asking me to repeat what she said.

"Bella, you are now consecrated to me as my wife from this day forward and I give you this ring as the pledge of my love and as the symbol of our unity. With this ring, I thee wed." I slid the ring on Bella's third finger on her left hand. Lois then asked Bella to repeat her vows.

"Edward, you are now consecrated to me as my husband from this day forward and I give you this ring as the pledge of my love and as the symbol of our unity. With this ring, I thee wed." I felt the ring slip easily onto my own finger as I stared into Bella's eyes. I could feel tears glistening in my eyes, and was positive Bella could see them as her own tears fell silently down her cheeks.

"You have pronounced yourselves husband and wife but remember to always be each other's best friend. What – therefore – God has joined together – let no man put asunder. And so, by the power vested in me by the State of Washington and Almighty God, I now pronounce you man and wife." Then she said the words I had been waiting to hear. "You may now kiss the bride."

I pulled Bella to me and dipped her, like we had just finished dancing, before touching my lips to hers. This little stunt earned me whistles from the guests and a swat on the arm from my new wife as I righted her. We had discussed a sweet kiss, but I just wasn't able to contain myself.

"It is my honor and privilege to present to you for the first time, Mr and Mrs Edward Anthony Masen," Lois announced, causing cheers from all our family and friends. We quickly walked down the aisle and into the house.

BPOV

Mrs. Edward Anthony Masen. Bella Masen. My brain just couldn't comprehend that I was now married to Edward.

"Mrs. Masen, let's go. We need to get those pictures taken while they finish setting up for the reception," Alice said as she started pulling me and Edward to the front door. I hadn't let go of Edward's hand since Em passed me to him. At this point, I didn't think I'd let go of him the rest of the night.

We had decided to have the formal shots taken at Kerry Park. The location gave us a backdrop for our shots of the two most iconic Seattle attractions, the Space Needle and Mt Rainer. The views from the park are absolutely breathtaking. While we were at the park, the cocktail hour was taking place in the front yard of the Cullen home. This was keeping the back out of everyone's view while it was converted to Esme's vision for the reception. We stayed at the park for about an hour. Just as we got back the caterer was taking Esme around back to show her before the guests were allowed back. She pulled the two of us with her since it was our wedding.

The backyard now looked like an enchanted garden. The tables were arranged around a wooden dance floor that had been laid out. Since we were outside, and had no worries of something being too high; the center pieces were about five to six feet tall. Clear, glass vases, that were four feet high, held decorative branches that were draped with Spanish moss and orchids. More orchids were hanging from the edge of the vase. Hanging from the branches were small candle holders that already had small flickering candles inside. There was soft lighting coming from large lamps that hung over tables and around the edge. I did notice some larger spot lights at the corners if we would need more lighting.

"It's gorgeous, prettier than I could have ever imagined," I told Esme as I hugged her.

Edward and I spent the rest of the night speaking and dancing with our guests. Of course he made a huge spectacle of us both when he went up my dress for the garter I was wearing. He pulled out some huge 'granny panties', among other items, before finally pulling out his intended target. Angela caught my bouquet, and her boyfriend Ben caught the garter. It couldn't have worked out more perfectly if Alice has planned it. When it came time to cut the cake, we had already decided there would be no smashing into the other's face. Once the piece was cut and we each had it in our fingers to feed the other, Alice started a countdown for the photographer to get the photos. When she reached one, we both went. As Edward moved the piece to my mouth, some of the icing touched my nose. I thought he was smashing it in my face. I hadn't quite reached his mouth yet so I shoved my hand upward, smearing cake all over his face and up his nose. He realized what I was doing and tried to retaliate just as I turned my head, catching one half of my face. We were a mess, but kissed sweetly before heading off to the bathroom to clean our faces off.

As the party wound down, Edward and I said our goodbyes, walking out front to the waiting limo, which was taking us to the W hotel for the night. The next morning we were leaving on our honeymoon and I still had no idea where we were heading.

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A/N: Wooo Hoooo…They are FINALLY married. But don't worry loyal readers there is still a good amount of story left.

If you have never heard the song for this chapter you should go listen to it. My cousin actually used it as a reading during her wedding (which yours truly was asked to read…I was shaking like a leave the entire time…I don't do public speaking). Here is a link to one of the many youtube videos for the song http:/www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=3X8U6am5iX4

Also, of course I need to show you all the dresses…

Bella's gown:  
http:/i41(dot)photobucket(dot)com/albums/e290/panda1499/BU%20Photos/thisdress(dot)jpg

Bridesmaid dresses:  
http:/i41(dot)photobucket(dot)com/albums/e290/panda1499/BU%20Photos/BellaBridesmaid(dot)jpg

NEXT UP-The Honeymoon….


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: *peeks out from behind steel plates* Is it safe to come out? No one is going to throw anything at me, are they? I CAN NOT apologize enough that this chapter took so long. I just had an extremely difficult time writing this chapter. When you add in that I was SUPER busy I just took forever to get this out. Please read the A/N at the bottom, there will be some important update news.**

**Thanks to my cousin for the idea for this honeymoon...other than some differences in the first and last place, lucky bitch actually got to have this honeymoon!  
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**Character's are Mrs. Meyer's...song is the distinguished Marvin Gaye's.  
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Chapter 20- Let's get it on

I've been really tryin baby  
Tryin to hold back this feeling for so long  
And if you feel like I feel baby  
Come on, oh come on, ooh

Let's get it on, ow baby  
Let's get it on, let's love baby  
Let's get it on, sugar  
Let's get it on, woo

~Let's Get It On by Marvin Gaye

BPOV

"Edward, where are we going?" I asked for about the millionth time since we got up the morning after our wedding.

"You'll find out the first stop when we get to the airport," he said, which had been the same response he had given me all morning. I started to pout. "That's not going to work, Mrs. Masen. Just because you're pouting doesn't mean I'll tell you."

"Fine, then I'm going to withhold sex," I said pretty snarkily.

"I give that threat less than 12 hours. As soon as we are in our room at our first destination you'll be all over me." He actually had the nerve to smirk.

"Wait, first destination? There are multiple destinations involved in this honeymoon?" I questioned.

"Possibly."

I decided to finally let it drop. Like he'd said I'd find out when we got to the airport, which was where we were currently headed. We had just checked out of the hotel about an hour ago before heading out to breakfast. I had not wanted any of the offerings on the room service menu, rather having a big, greasy, diner breakfast. I hadn't eaten much at the reception, and was starving after our night of fun. We had made love into the early morning hours, before falling asleep just before dawn. I was surprised at how awake I was considering I had about four hours of sleep.

We reached the airport and Edward checked our bags at the curbside check-in and then took my hand to lead me inside. Edward printed our tickets at the self-service kiosk, covering the screen so I couldn't see where we were going yet. He even kept hold of my ticket to stop me from peeking. We made our way through security quickly. Before I knew it we were making our way through the terminal to our boarding gate.

As we approached the gate I noticed it was already packed with people. A large group of people were seated in chairs that faced away from us, but I felt like I knew them without even seeing their faces. There was a petite woman with short black hair cuddled up with a taller blond man. There was a blonde with very long hair sitting next to a large man with dark curly hair. The woman was rocking back and forth like she was trying to put a baby to sleep. Next to them was a man with white blond hair leaning closer to a woman with wavy, caramel hair. In the next group of chairs there was a man with russet colored skin and short black hair holding a woman with long, curly, bronze colored hair. Finally at the end of the row was a woman with light brown hair that was getting streaks of gray through it and a man in a wheel chair who's black hair was so long it was pulled back in a ponytail at the base of his neck. They looked like my family, but since I hadn't seen any of their faces I couldn't be sure.

"Edward, those people with their backs to us look familiar."

"Do they love? Who do they remind you of?"

"Well, in all honesty, it looks like our family. Just the way they are paired off." I pointed at the couples in turn as I mentioned who they looked like. "That looks like Ali and Jazz, and then Rose and Em, Carlisle and Esme, Jake and Nessie, and Mom and Billy." Edward started laughing next to me. "What's so funny? You don't think so?" I inquired.

"I don't think so, love." I started to pout, he was making fun of me. "I know so," he continued. "Gigs up guys, you can turn around now." As he finished speaking I watched as the couples all stood and turned around, revealing it truly was my family. "Surprise, Bella! Our first stop, of many, on our honeymoon is a week in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina with our family. This is a de-stress week for everyone to calm down from the wedding fun. We are staying in neighboring beach houses. We have one; Ali, Jazz, Jake, Ness, Rose, Em and Ethan have the second; and Esme, Carlisle, your mom, and Billy have the final one. And don't even bother asking, I will not tell you the other stops until it comes time to go to the next destination."

I didn't care that he was still not telling me everywhere we were going; he had included our family in part of our honeymoon. I threw my arms around his neck hugging him close and kissing him sweetly.

The plane ride across the country was uneventful. It was the first time I was flying in first class and I didn't know if I would ever be able to go back to economy class again. We landed late in the evening and went right to the houses. Of course Edward had made special arrangements for us to check in later than usual. As we pulled up in front of the houses I was amazed. They were obviously expensive, and gorgeous. They sat at the end of a cul-de-sac and were backed by a private beach.

The week passed quickly. We had a nice relaxing time as a family. For the first time in almost a year I felt like we had nothing to worry about. No more weddings to plan, no stalker exes waiting in the wings to attack, no kidnappings, everything was perfect. Well, almost everything. I was still having nightmares, but I seemed to be hiding them from my family. There was no questions if I was ok, or if I needed to talk about what had happened. My nightmares were centered for one common theme, what would have happened if the police had not shown up when they did.

We spent our days on the beach, or exploring the town; and our nights out at a restaurant or on one of the porches. It was such a joy having Ethan with us. It was the first time he was being taken to any beach, and he loved it. The boys played with him in the sand digging holes and building sandcastles. Then they would take him to the water's edge where we could hear his giggles all the way up at the houses as the waves crashed at his feet.

With our family around, Edward and I didn't really have as much alone time as I would have liked. We were newlyweds and I wanted to be having sex all day. Edward assured me that this would come at our remaining stops. So I waited patiently and enjoyed my time with my family.

The second to last day in Myrtle Beach I was lying in a hammock behind the house that Edward and I were staying in. The rest of the family was at the beach, but I had had a tiny bit too much sun the previous day and was nursing some serious sunburn. As I gently swung back and forth I fell asleep in the shade of the surrounding trees. I started off dreaming pleasantly, but those pleasant dreams turned quickly to nightmares. I was lying on the beach with Edward, when out of nowhere James appeared. He shot Edward before dragging me off to some abandoned house. This time, unlike the real thing, James raped me and then held the gun in front of my face. Just as he pulled the trigger I woke up screaming.

As I opened my eyes Edward was there, pulling me off the hammock into his arms. The rest of my family was behind him. Apparently, my family heard me screaming from the beach. When I calmed down there was no escaping the inquisition that started. When I told everyone about my nightmares, they exploded at me. I was told I should have been upfront about what was happening with me. Edward was ready to cancel the remainder of our honeymoon. Thankfully my mother talked him out of that by making me agree to see a therapist as soon as we got home. Carlisle even offered to set an appointment for me with a friend of his who specialized in post-traumatic therapy. I quickly agreed to both. That night Edward gave me a private inquisition.

"Bella, why didn't you tell me? I haven't noticed any nightmares the entire time we've been here. I don't really sleep that soundly, do I?" He asked quietly

"No, Edward. I don't have the nightmares when you are around. As for not telling you, I didn't think they were a big deal, but they are only getting worse."

He spent the entire night holding me, whispering his love for me. The next morning we packed all of our bags and headed for the airport again. Our family was headed back to Seattle and we were headed for, I had no clue.

"Can I please know where we are going next? Please, Edward?"

"You will find out in a minute when we get to the Gate," my husband said smirking.

We said goodbye to our family as they headed for another terminal in the airport. As we made our way to our gate I tried to think of places he would be taking me. I was beyond surprised when we walked up to a gate that said the destination was Orlando, Florida.

"Orlando? Why are we going to Orlando?" I asked, confused by this choice. His only answer was to reach into the carry-on he had and pull out something. He turned his back to me for a moment; when he turned back around he was wearing a hat with a pair of Mickey Mouse ears on it. "Disneyworld? We're going to Disneyworld?"

"Yes. That night we were talking about all the places we wanted to travel to I remember you mentioning Disney on that list. You said you'd been to Disneyland in California, but had always wanted to go to Disneyworld in Florida. So we are spending four nights at the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa before moving on to the next destination for our honeymoon."

"You know you are spoiling me, right?" I questioned while wrapping my arms around him.

"That is the plan Mrs. Masen," he said while kissing the top of my head. Edward went on to explain that the way our next flight worked out we would actually have five full days available to explore the parks, while only spending four nights at the hotel.

Once our plane touched down we were met at baggage claim by a man wearing a suit and carrying a placard emblazoned with Mr. and Mrs. Edward Masen. Edward told me he had ordered the hotel to pick us up in one of their limousines. Once the man had our bags he led us outside. As we exited the terminal I looked all around for a sleek, black, stretch limo and didn't see one. As I looked around I noticed the man had walked up to a car that could only be described as an antique. Edward must have noticed the confused look on my face, because he quickly enlightened me.

"Love, that is a 1929 Cadillac Limousine. It's gorgeous , isn't it?"

I really didn't want to tell him I was scared shitless to ride in something that old. Would we make it to the hotel in one piece without breaking down? I highly doubted it. So instead of ruin it I just nodded my head. It was a very gorgeous, opulent car, but it deserved to be on display in a museum somewhere; not still out on the roads. I was surprised when it was the quietest vehicle I had ever ridden in, and extremely comfortable.

We pulled up in front of the Grand Floridian and I got out of the car and just stared at the humongous white building with the terra cotta colored roof. It was a place I had dreamed about staying at since I was a little girl. It hit me just how much this honeymoon was costing us with the houses in Myrtle, the stay here, the plane rides, not to mention wherever it was we were still headed. He had confided in me that the price he was paying for everything was barely making a dent into his savings. I squealed with delight as I realized everything I had ever dreamed about could come true with Edward. We could travel anywhere in the world as long as we had the vacation time. We would have enough money to send all of our future children to whatever college they wanted to go to. I never had to worry about bills ever again. I turned to my husband and jumped into his arms, squeezing him in a tight hug.

"What is that for, love?" he asked confused by my actions.

"I just realized you can make every dream I've ever had come true. I love you," I said as I kissed him deeply. I felt him laugh against my lips before pulling away. He kept me in his arms as he walked up to the reception desk where a cart was waiting with our bags. We checked in and were showed to our room by a bellhop.

We spent the next five days exploring the parks. We spent one day at the Magic Kingdom, one in Epcot and Typhoon Lagoon, one day in the Animal Kingdom, one day in Disney-MGM Studios and Blizzard Beach, and one day relaxing at the spa of the Grand Floridian. Of course we spent much more time together in our room than we did while in Myrtle. Edward also took me out for one very nice dinner which I had to wear a cocktail dress for. We ate at the Chef's Table at Victoria and Albert's. He ensured we were the only two to dine at the table that night. It was wonderful to get the chance to see the chef and his team work. We got to try a little bit of everything he was making. Everything was delicious.

Our final day in Orlando was when we visited the Animal Kingdom. As we prepared to leave and head for the airport I was extremely depressed. I felt like I had barely gotten a chance to see any of the resort. I needed to spend more time here. Edward must have noticed my mood and knew just what to say.

"Once we have children, we'll be back, Bella. We can bring the entire family and make it a two week vacation when the kids are old enough to enjoy it." I loved hearing him talk about our eventual children. We were both still wishing for a baby from this honeymoon.

We arrived at the airport for the third time during our honeymoon. This time Edward didn't walk up to the commercial airlines check-in, he made his way over to a small private airline. After giving his name we were taken back to a private club area to wait for our plane. I still wasn't sure what was going on. When a man walked in and said to Edward that our plane was ready I got even more confused, but Edward wasn't saying anything. We were taken out onto the Tarmac and walked up to a small plane. We were helped on board when I finally realized it was a private plane. The only people waiting on the plane were a pilot, his co-pilot, and a stewardess.

"Edward, I know you said you were barely denting your savings with this honeymoon, but a private plane? Are you sure this isn't too expensive?"

"First off, it is now _our_ savings. Secondly, Bella this is _our_ plane. I loan it to the airline to use for charters. I only pay for the pilots and stewardess for this flight. I wanted us to be comfortable since it is going to be a long flight. Once we are in the air we can go sleep in the bed."

I literally couldn't speak. His little confession left me completely speechless. I owned a plane! Holy shit! I just sat down in the big plush leather chair and buckled myself in. Edward sat down next to me and held my hand. Once the pilot announced we were at our cruising elevation, Edward and I went back to the bedroom. I joined the mile high club before falling into a deep sleep. I was awoken a few hours later by sweet kisses on my neck and Edward's voice telling me we had to return to our seats in the main cabin to prepare for landing.

As we touched down the voice sounded from the cockpit welcoming me to Rio De Janiero, Brazil. I had never voiced a want to go to Rio. I found this to be an odd stop for us.

"We are not there yet, this is just a stop along the way. A limo is meeting us on the tarmac to take us to the marina. The rest of our voyage is by boat," my wonderful husband informed me.

"Boat?" I asked.

"Yup, let's go," he said, taking off his seatbelt and standing. He grabbed my hand and we exited the plane. We walked right into an open limo door. We sat for a few minutes while they loaded our luggage into the trunk, and then we were off.

Edward was pointing out the sights of Rio as we drove through the city to the marina. He made sure to tell me we would be sightseeing in the city one day while we were here.

"How long are we going to be, wherever it is we are going?"

"Almost two weeks. I really think you'll enjoy this, love. It is beautiful."

I just nodded my head. When we arrived at the marina, Edward led me down the dock past not boats, but yachts. Very large yachts. We stopped at one that was called "Senhora de Meu Coração".

"Edward, this is not a 'boat'," I said using air quotes to specify his term for this monstrosity in front of me. "A boat is the little metal thing that sits in my Mom's backyard. The one my Dad used for fishing on his weekends off."

"Technically it is, but yeah, I guess it is a bit larger than what you'd be used to."

I scoffed at him. He pulled me forward and onto the 'boat'. He informed me we would get to our destination in about an hour. He led me upstairs to the cockpit. He turned a key and I felt the engine come to life.

"You're driving this thing?" I questioned. All he did was nod. I sat down in one of the two chairs and waited to find out where we were headed. Edward was actually much better at this than I had expected. It seemed there were things about him I still needed to learn.

About forty-five minutes after we left the marina, Edward told me to start watching the horizon. As I did I saw what looked like land appear in front of us. I turned to him and he laughed at my quizzical expression.

"That is Isle Esme. Our final destination."

"Wait, did you say Esme?"

"I did. Carlisle bought it for her a few years ago. She wanted a warm weather get away, but wanted it to be private. This was Carlisle's solution, a private island in the warm, Southern Atlantic."

All I could do was stare. I was amazed that for as long as I knew Alice, she had never told me about this place. It would have been a great Spring Break get away during college.

"If you're wondering why you've never heard of this place before, it's because Alice doesn't know about it. Carlisle and Esme are going to gift it to her eventually, but until then they don't want her to know about it. So don't say anything." I just continued to stare open mouthed, looking between my husband and the island.

"How much money do you have? I mean I get that your parents left you a lot of money when they passed away, but Edward, how can Carlisle and Esme afford an island?" I finally blurted out. Edward started laughing.

"I figured you'd freak out. So I did bring some of _our_ bank and investment statements. We can go over all of it here. I was left a substantial amount of money, mainly money that had been left to my parents by my grandparents. Both Esme and Carlisle also had large inheritances. You've been friends with Alice long enough to know that her 'feelings' are usually right. We've all used those feelings over the years to invest in the stock market and make out big. But I want to enjoy our stay here for a little bit before I show you any of that paperwork. Is that ok?"

"That sounds perfect." We arrived at the dock and were met by an older Brazilian couple. Edward spoke to them in Portuguese. He then explained that they took care of the island for the Cullens. They had stocked the house with a week's worth of groceries. They were heading back to the mainland and would bring out whatever we wanted next week, to just let them know. Once the boat was secured at the dock the man helped Edward get our bags in the house before they bid us goodbye. "You said Alice doesn't know about this place, but you seem familiar with the caretakers," I noted.

"That's because I have been here a few times. Esme brought me here a few years ago when I was having a rough time. I was graduating high school without my parents, so she told me we were going on a vacation, just her and I. She brought me here and left me to do whatever I wanted on the island for a week. Alice thought we were off looking at colleges. The final day here Esme swore me to secrecy, but gave me free range to use the island whenever I wanted. Whenever I needed to get away I would come here. I never told Tanya about it, it was a place just for me. It is now a place for us. Esme has told me that we can continue to use the island whenever, we just have to let Juan and Anna know we're coming down and they'll get everything ready. Now, let's enjoy our time here. I'll show you around the house, and tell you what all we can do during our stay."

He led me into not just a house, but a mansion. The place had 4 bedrooms and a pool house out back next to an in-ground pool and hot-tub. The living room could pass for a theater, but with comfier seating. The kitchen was all restaurant grade appliances in stainless, and the countertops were granite. I thought my kitchen in the apartment was nice, this kitchen was even better. Edward then showed me each bedroom, which was decorated differently, but all were perfect for beachside living. The one room he showed me was done all in white with light wood furniture. The bed linens were in pure white, with gauzy white canopy over the bed. I saw a set of French doors on the far side of the room, when I walked over they opened right onto the beach. I made Edward bring our bags in here while I showered to get the disgusting feeling from traveling off of me.

I walked out to find the room empty, our bags on the floor, and the doors to outside wide open. I opened my bag and pulled out the white bikini that Alice had bought me. I hadn't worn it at all when we were with the family, for fear it would be see through. I figured it didn't matter now that it was just Edward and I. As I went out the door I saw all of Edward's clothing hanging on a palm tree at the edge of the beach. There were also two towels. Nice to know he assumed I'd come find him.

As I reached the water I saw Edward surface about fifty feet from shore. I put my foot in tentatively, afraid it would be cool water. I was pleasantly surprised to find the water felt like I was stepping into a bath. It was wonderful. I dove in and swam out to Edward. As I reached him he pulled me into his arms. I quickly realized he wasn't wearing a swim suit at all.

"Why, Mr. Masen, are you skinny dipping?"

"I am. Why are you wearing so much clothing, Mrs. Masen?"

"This is not a lot of clothing, Edward. I'm practically naked, this suit is tinier than most of my underwear!"

"Practically is the key word there. You need to be naked," he said, smirking. So I did as my husband asked. I pushed out of his arms and swam backwards. As I did I undid the tie at my back and slid the bottoms down my legs.

"Hopefully these make it to shore," I said as I threw the two pieces closer.

Edward had started moving toward me and stopped. He looked at me and then swam as quickly as he could right at me. He pulled me close, crashing his lips to mine. We kissed every bit of flesh that was above water while our hands roamed under the water. I could feel him hard against my stomach. I reached between us and grasped him, causing a groan to escape his lips.

"I think we need to move this to shore," he whispered in my ear. I just nodded. He pulled me onto his back and swam for shore. When we were in shallower waters, Edward stood and I stood next to him. He didn't allow me to stand for long, sweeping up in his arms and carrying me the rest of the way in. He walked over to the palm that his clothes were at and picked up a blanket I didn't notice before. He quickly threw it out on the sand before lowering me to it.

Edward wasted no time with foreplay, pushing right into me, filling me completely. I moaned feeling him inside of me again. I hoped it would always be this good. I never wanted this feeling to ever go away. He pumped in and out of me quickly pushing me closer to the edge of my pleasure abyss. When he reached down and pressed his thumb against my clit I was done for. My orgasm ripped through me so hard I swear I saw stars. I faintly heard my husband scream my name before dropping on top of me. Obviously my orgasm had triggered his. We lay wrapped in each other's arms on the sand.

We must have fallen asleep at some point because I was awoken by the sun peeking over the horizon. Obviously sleeping on the beach was not the best idea seeing as we were now awake at literally the crack of dawn. Edward lifted me up and carried me into the shower; we washed the salt and sand off before crawling into back into bed. We made sure to close all the blinds so the sun didn't wake us again.

The following week and a half followed in much the same fashion. Edward taught me to surf, and snorkel; both of which were interesting experiences considering my clumsy nature. We went deep sea fishing, which I absolutely hated. After an hour I went up to the sun deck on the boat to sun bathe while Edward caught dinner. We did get over to the mainland for a day, seeing everything that Rio had to offer a tourist. We christened every surface in the house, almost every inch of sand on the beach directly behind the house, and the boat.

I was sad the morning I realized that it was time for us to head home, because I enjoyed having Edward to myself with nobody else anywhere near us. We made the trip home, again in the private plane; this time stopping in Houston to refuel before flying onto Seattle.

Esme picked us up at the airport with no questions asked about how the remainder of our trip had been. I think it was because she knew we were tired from the flight and not lack of interest in her part. She was Alice's mother after all, and the saying "like mother like daughter" never rang more true than in the case of the Cullen women. I knew I would be interrogated eventually, but one or both of them, but I'd be ready for it. Once we were dropped off Edward and I didn't even bother unpacking, just dropped our bags inside the door, stripped down, and went right to bed. We'd worry about getting back to our normal lives in the morning.

* * *

**A/N: So, are we all happy that they had their honeymoon and got some lovin'? Show me some lovin' in reviews!  
**

**To the update news. As I post this, I have recently accepted a new position in my company. My start date is set for Oct. 5th. So in the next week and three days I have to completely clean and make my grandparents old apartment in a town 50 miles away livable again after sitting empty on the family farm for 5 years, as well as move all of my stuff. Plus if you all look at a calendar, you'll see that the 5th is a Tuesday, so I get to finalize my move basically in the MIDDLE of the work week. I can tell you all this position is a promotion for me, which means I will have new responsibilities that will demand more of my time. So, what that means for Burning Up, is I have NO IDEA when the next update will be. I apologize now, you all have been so patient with me. Burning up has been around for more than a year now, and you have all already been patient with me. I just ask that you continue to encourage me. I do promise I WILL FINISH THIS STORY, I will not leave it hanging...we still have a good amount of angst to get through again before the HEA! Thank you all so much for your understanding!**

**Love, Manda**


	21. Chapter 21

AN- I know I know…its gonna SNOW. Manda is getting out an update and its only been 6 weeks?

I'm major fail *hangs head in shame*. But I did warn you all in my last post. Obviously things have been quite hectic with the new position, as well as trying to clean out my new place. Every spare moment away from work that I'm not sleeping has been spent cleaning and organizing all the stuff that was my grandparents' so my aunt and I can pack it up and store it until the spring when we have a giant yard sale! Plus, I do not have internet access right now. So I'm only able to get on here when I drag my computer and my butt to Starbuck's or Panera Bread to use their wonderful free Wi-Fi.

As always, I don't own E & B…they are that wonderful Breaking Dawn producer's…oh and the song is not mine either.

Please look at the AN at the end….lots of info.

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BU 21- Heavy in your Arms

_I was a heavy heart to carry  
My beloved was weighed down  
My arms around his neck  
My fingers laced a crown  
I was a heavy heart to carry  
My feet dragged across the ground  
And he took me to the river  
Where he slowly let me drown  
My love has concrete feet, my love's an ironball,  
Wrapped around your ankles, over the waterfall_

_I'm so heavy, heavy, heavy in your arms  
I'm so heavy, heavy, heavy in your arms_

_Heavy in Your Arms by Florence + the Machine_

BPOV

"Ok, Bella, let's discuss the night that you ended things with James. What happened?" Carmen asked me. Carlisle had referred me to the best therapist he knew and an old friend from medical school, Dr Carmen Eleazer. I was currently sitting in my weekly session with her. Every week we had discussed a certain aspect of my past. She had decided to start with James, and we had been working through different events over the past three weeks. Things were going well, but we had hit a rough spot last week, and I knew after that question, things this week would be similar.

Before I answered I remembered back to my session the week before. Carmen had asked me about James and my anniversary night. I thought I was over what he had done to me, but as I recounted the night to Carmen I broke down into incontrollable sobs. She held me for the longest time just trying to calm me down. When I finished crying she handed me a tissue and we discussed my reaction. It was eye opening to me. I realized that because I had pushed everything aside, and forgot about it to an extent, I had never properly moved past that night. I knew Edward would never do that to me, but I had thought the same of James. Carmen helped me work through it all. Even though we had worked past it, I wouldn't let Edward touch me for days, simply because I couldn't handle the intimacy. He gave me my space and everything was normal for us again.

"Bella, is there a reason you aren't answering me?" Carmen inquired.

"No, I was just thinking about our last session. I don't want that to happen again. I kept Edward at arm's length for a few days after dredging up that memory last week. Even though I knew he understood why I was doing it, I could see the hurt in his eyes. I don't want that to happen again," I whispered.

"Bella, that is why you are here though. If you continue to let these things from your past go unresolved, they could lead to bigger problems in your future. What if Edward says something that triggers a memory in your brain from James, do you want to lash out at Edward?" I shook my head no. "I didn't think so. To prevent that we have to find the underlying issues and resolve them. Talking about those past events is the only way we can work through it all."

I knew she was right, so I explained that night. Everything that happened. Our friends coming over, the dishes, the fight, the hospital visit, finding him with Victoria, and of course his threat the next morning. I held it together until I repeated the threat. Carmen noticed that and probed deeper. Of course I broke down at that point because that threat had come true. He had come back for me and hurt me again. Took me from my family and in all honesty was going to kill me.

"But that didn't happen, Bella."

"It could have, though. I could have been taken away from everyone I love because of him."

"But, Bella, you weren't because those people you love got you back with the help of the police. Now he is gone and can't hurt you again."

She was right. He was dead. I had nothing to fear from him anymore. Everything he did was in the past, and they couldn't happen again. Not by his hand. It was like a weight was lifted from around my shoulders. Carmen let me go, but I knew what came next session would be even worse. If we had gotten past James that meant we were on to my other big problem, my fear of losing those I love in the line of duty.

EPOV

I didn't know what to do anymore. I knew Bella was getting very worried about me. If she was home when I left the house for work I saw her visibly tense and tears form in her eyes. One day she actually begged me not to go. It took everything I had to leave. Firefighting had been all I wanted to do for such a long time, but I didn't want to hurt my wife. I also didn't want to hurt my future children if something should happen to me. Bella and I had already talked about a family. We wanted a big family. I didn't want to be taken from that family just because I wanted to play hero at a fire. Em and I were both sitting in the station watching TV so I decided to find out how he left Ethan every day he worked.

"Em?"

"Yeah, bro."

"How do you do it?" I asked him, rather vaguely.

"How do I do what, Ed?" he asked me, confusion clear on his face.

"Every time you come into work, how do you leave Ethan, knowing you might not come back to him?"

He sat and stared at me for a long time before answering.

"I don't think about it, Edward. You can't or it will make you go crazy. I've always wanted this profession, even before my Dad died. Rose knew my profession when she married me. She knows I'm her husband and Ethan's father first and foremost, but she also knows I can't be me without being a firefighter. I take every minute I get with them. But when I'm here, I don't think about not getting back to them. Why, Bella giving you a hard time again? She knew your profession when she married you Edward."

"She's trying not to let me see it, but since her therapy started more than a month ago I've noticed little things. If she's home when I leave and she knows I'm not at Medic One I see tears in her eyes. I don't want to leave her Em, or our future family if I'm around long enough to have one with her. It's getting harder and harder to leave her when I see those tears."

"Maybe you need to think of leaving the station. You know how dangerous it is if your head isn't in the game. You could get yourself or someone else killed. I think you need to talk to the chief."

Em was right, I could hurt myself or one of my fellow firefighters. I needed to speak with the chief, and soon. I enjoyed my time with Medic One, maybe a full time shift over there would be better for everyone.

BPOV

We had been back from our honeymoon for almost two months. My therapy was going extremely well and Carmen was really helping me work through my fear. We discussed my dad, which didn't necessarily go well. I think I cried more than actually talked during those two sessions. But I'd felt really off for the past few weeks, and not just from the renewed grief over my dad.

I'd been extremely tired, sleeping every spare moment I had. I was also moody. I'd be happy and laughing one minute and in tears the next. Then for the past few days I'd been throwing up every afternoon. I knew I had caught something at the hospital. So I took a sick day and called Carlisle. He agreed to see me in his home office that morning.

Edward was at work, thankfully it was a Medic One shift. I was trying to hide it from him, but recently I'd really not been ok with his other chosen profession. I knew it was from working through that fear in therapy and it was just at the surface more than it had been. I drove over to the Cullen home, feeling nauseous yet again.

Esme opened the door and told me to head right up to Carlisle's office, that he was waiting for me there. I knocked on the door at the end of the second floor hallway and waited to be asked inside. When I heard Carlisle's response I opened the door and walked in. He was sitting behind the old cherry desk Esme had found a few years ago. It had taken four delivery men to get it up here, it was that large. It fit the space and Carlisle perfectly.

"So, Bella you said you weren't feeling well. What are your symptoms?"

I explained everything that I had been feeling recently. When I looked up he was smirking and it looked just like his nephew's.

"Bella, I really don't think I need to run any tests or prescribe you anything," he stated matter-of-factly.

"What? Why not, Carlisle I've felt like this for two weeks now. Add to the exhaustion the fact that I'm now vomiting every afternoon, how can you be saying there is nothing wrong with me?"

"Bella, I will run one test for you, but I want to have Esme join us first, is that ok?"

I told him it was and watched as he hit a button on the intercom system on the wall. When Esme responded he asked her to join us. I didn't quite understand his logic, but I also didn't mind if Esme knew what was going on. When she sat next to me on the couch in the office Carlisle asked me to relay my symptoms to his wife. As soon as I finished Esme's hand quickly came up to cover her shocked expression. Before I even registered her moving, Esme had me pulled into a tight hug.

"Oh I can't believe I'm finally going to be a grandmother. Alice has kept me waiting so long I never thought I'd get the chance," she squealed in my ear.

"Wait. Esme, what did you just say?" It couldn't be. I should have known that I was pregnant, right?

"Well you are pregnant, aren't you Bella?" Esme said, looking to Carlisle and then back at me.

I turned to face him as well and saw him nod.

"I'm pregnant?" I asked. Carlisle just started laughing as he again nodded.

"I have an at home test here if you'd like to take it to be sure. Of course they aren't perfect and we should have a blood test done at your normal gynecologist's office to be positive."

I hadn't even registered that I'd missed a couple of my periods but now that I thought about it I hadn't had my period since before our wedding. I took the box he held out to me and headed for the guest bathroom. I peed on the little absorbent stick and waited the listed amount of time, making sure not to look at the display while I waited. When I finally looked at it there were two very distinctive plus signs, which according to the instructions meant one thing, Edward and I were having a baby.

I went down stairs clutching the stick with a huge smile on my face. When Esme saw me she started jumping up and down in a circle, shouting at the top of her lungs how happy she was. She pulled me into her little happy dance and I felt the shock wear off.

"Holy Shit!" I screamed. "I'm having a baby!" This caused both Esme and Carlisle to start laughing at me. I pulled out my phone and called my gynecologist's office to get an appointment as soon as possible. Once off the phone I looked at my in-laws. "Please keep this between the three of us until after I've gotten checked out and I've told Edward. I can't have the daddy being the last to know." They both agreed and I left for home, feeling much better than I had when I went over.

I was so glad that I worked that night, so I wouldn't see Edward and get his hopes up before I was sure. I knew he really wanted a family, and I also knew the at home tests could give false positives.

My appointment with the gyno was the next afternoon. I was so excited. I floated right through my shift, a smile on my face the entire night.

After getting a few hours sleep I headed back to the hospital for my appointment. I'd been going to Maggie since I was in college. She took one look at me and pulled the ultrasound machine over. She asked when my last period was and wrote it down on a chart. She warned me about the gel being cold as she pulled up my shirt and squirted some on my stomach. She hit a button on the ultrasound machine and placed the wand against my lower abdomen.

"Aha, there we are," she said and pressed a few more buttons. I heard a printer start working and then I heard another sound. Maggie noticed the look on my face and said, "That, my dear Bella, is your baby's heartbeat. It sounds perfect. Let me turn the screen around and you can see your first glimpse of baby Masen." When she turned the screen around I saw the fluttering of a heartbeat on the screen coming from a peanut shape. Maggie turned off the ultrasound and let me get cleaned up. When I met her in her office she handed me a printout that showed my little baby. I couldn't wait to show this to Edward. She informed me that based on when my last period was I was close to three months pregnant and due sometime in April. She set me with a due date of April 14 and sent me home.

I stopped at the store on the way and bought two big steaks and all the fixings for a celebratory meal for me and my husband. I bought a card and put the ultrasound picture in it to give to him. I couldn't wait to see his face, he was going to be so happy.

Two hours later I was sitting at home, waiting for Edward to arrive. I knew he should have been home by now but figured they got a late call. I watched some TV and another hour passed. Just as I was about to put all the food away the phone rang. I figured it was Edward letting me know he was on his way. I grabbed the phone and quickly answered.

"Hello?"

"Is this Isabella Masen?"

"Yes, who is this?" I asked, not recognizing the voice.

"Isabella, it's Chief O'Rielly. I'm on my way to the hospital and need you to meet me there as soon as you can."

I hung up before he could say anymore, whispering no over and over again.

I grabbed my purse, cell phone, and car keys and left the building. As I got in the car I called Alice. That was when I noticed there were tears running down my face.

"Hey Bells, what's up?" Alice said so cheerily I almost hung up. Instead I let a sob escape me. "Bella, what's wrong sweetie?"

"Ed-edward…hos-hospital…n-n-now," I managed between my sobs.

"Oh no. Jazz, grab your car keys we need to get to the hospit-" was all I heard as I disconnected the phone before throwing it in the passenger's seat. I reached the hospital in half the time it normally takes to get there, and not remembering how I navigated the streets. I pulled into my normal parking spot and ran inside. I entered the ER through the employee entrance and went right to the nurse's station, which was empty. I looked toward the trauma rooms and knew which one Edward must be in because everyone was rushing in and out of it. I approached the door as Angela came running out. She took one look at me and looked back inside the room. There were tears in her eyes. She ripped off her Trauma gown and grabbed my arms. She turned me away from the door and took me to the waiting room. I put a bit of a fight wanting to see him but Angela calmed me and kept me moving in the other direction. Once I was in the waiting room I saw a few of the guys Edward worked with. Angela held me while I sobbed into her shoulder.

All I could think about was the fact that I had just received the call I hoped I would never get. The call that the love of my life, my everything, was being rushed to the hospital. This was why I had been so reluctant for us to start dating, let alone get married. I just couldn't have stopped it if I wanted to; we were meant for each other. We were soul-mates. Our life together flashed before me, even those parts we hadn't experienced yet, like the child that grew inside me. I prayed that Edward would be around to see this little one be born and grow up. I was positive of one thing, if Edward was taken away from me, my life would cease to have meaning. I felt movement under my head and turned to see Alice's black hair replace Angela's brown. Ang promised to go speak with the staff and have an attending come see me soon. She told me that most of the on duty staff was in with Edward, working to save him. I curled up against Alice and waited to find out if my life would live or die.

* * *

A/N- For those of you therapists out there (or those that have gone through therapy), I know this is not how it is, but I have never gone through structured therapy. My way of dealing with my past has been talking to my friends and just moving past it. I have nothing against therapy, but since I've never been I used my way of dealing as Bella's therapy…which is my author's fictional right. Remember this isn't real.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE Don't hurt me. I promise you, this story will have an HEA. Anyone realize where we are? What we've come back to? I'll give you a hint…Go look at the first posted chapter again…

So, Burning Up is actually beginning to wind down (which is actually a good thing). There are probably only about 3-4 chapters and an Epi left, and even that might be more than it turns out to be. It all depends on how wordy these characters get in the coming chapters. I can tell you that these upcoming chapters will probably move along for me much faster than the last few, which for you is a double edged sword; good because updates will come faster, bad because the story is going to end all the faster as well.

I know many of you will ask, Manda what are you going to write next? And although I have a couple of stories bouncing around in my head, at this time I'll be taking a break from posting those stories. I will probably still write, but I want to have a story finished and only needing little tweaks before posting again. What that means is, if you're interested in reading more from me you'll have to put me on author alert.

Let me know what you all think! (which means write me a note and hit that review button!)


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N**: HI ALL! I'm being pretty consistent with a monthly (or so) posting schedule, even if I didn't mean to be. So, I really think there will be one more chapter and then an epilogue (as long as E&B don't get to talkative).

I kept you waiting 5 weeks, I won't get too wordy here.

I don't own…characters are SM's, lyrics are from the show Glee.

* * *

BU 22- (You're) Having My Baby

_Having my baby  
what a lovely way of saying  
How much you love me.  
Having my baby  
what a lovely way of saying  
What you're thinking of me.  
I can see it your face is glowing_

_I can see it in your eyes.  
I'm happy knowin' that you're having my baby.  
You're the woman I love and I love what it's doin' to you.  
Having my baby  
you're a woman in love and I love  
What's goin' through you.  
The need inside you  
I see it showin'  
Oh  
the seed inside you  
baby  
do you feel it growin'_

_(You're) Having My Baby by the Cast of Glee_

BPOV

I didn't know how long I had been sitting in the waiting room. My time here had consisted of crying and sleeping. Alice was trying to keep me positive, but it was hard, even for my extremely upbeat friend to stay positive when the doctors still hadn't come out to tell us anything. As a nurse I knew this wasn't a good thing. The longer someone took to come out, the more bad news there was to give. I looked up and wondered when Esme and Carlisle had gotten here. I could see Esme was as much of an emotional mess as I was.

"Isabella?" a voice I didn't recognize was trying to get my attention. I turned toward the voice to see Edward's boss. I knew him from seeing him at the station's Labor Day picnic, but I hadn't talked to him before.

I nodded to acknowledge that I had heard him. He smiled tentatively at me.

"How are you doing dear?" he asked. I shrugged my shoulders; I really didn't know how I was doing.

"I was hoping to speak with you about what happened." He was trying not to overwhelm me, at this point I didn't know if I really wanted to know what happened.

"We got a call just before the shift change. It came through as a structure fire with possible entrapment. We responded immediately to find the family outside already, which makes our job a bit easier; no entrapment. We started fighting the fire from all sides. The youngest child in the family was crying the whole time. He kept asking where Duce was. When Edward asked him who Duce was the boy said his puppy. Edward wanted to check the house quickly to ensure that the dog was not inside. I told him I didn't think it was a good idea, but the structure seemed to be secure, and Edward persuaded me. He grabbed Emmett and they ran inside. They quickly searched, but didn't see the dog. They were on their way out when the second floor started falling. As they reached the door Em was in front of Edward and he shoved Em outside as the last of the floor came down. Em quickly started digging Edward out but he obviously sustained some injury. Damn dog came trotting around from the backyard as we finally pulled Edward out. I can tell you that I have seen worse in my years with the department, if that's any comfort. I'm sure he'll be fine.

I nodded, not able to speak through the tears running down my face.

"Did you know Edward came to speak to me recently?" he asked.

I shook my head, and thankfully he continued.

"He requested a transfer to Medic One full time. He was leaving the station. Today was his last day as an active firefighter."

"What?" I gasped. My brother came over at that noise.

"Yeah, Bells. He was going to Medic One full time. He couldn't stand seeing you hurting anymore. He admitted it was getting harder and harder for him to leave when you broke down in tears. Bella, when he knew both of us were not making it out the door he said give Ethan a kiss as he pushed me through the door. He wanted me to be around for my son."

I just started crying even harder and touched my stomach where our child was growing. I couldn't believe he was leaving firefighting. It was the most selfless thing anyone had ever done for me. Alice was still sitting next to me and noticed my hand.

"Bella, are you?" she stopped, not finishing her question. I nodded. Alice grabbed me and pulled me close in the biggest hug she could. We both had tears streaming down our face. "He'll be fine Bells. Edward is a fighter."

Another hour passed and finally Dr. Banner came out to speak with us. He informed me that Edward had sustained multiple lacerations and second degree burns on thirty percent of his body. He had also suffered a small bit of smoke inhalation; apparently when the floor fell his mask was knocked off his face. He mentioned how much worse it could have been, which I already knew. He said the fact that he was pulled out so fast was what helped with the burns. Someone was looking over my husband and protecting him, because the fact that he had no broken bones was a miracle. He also would not need any skin grafts; none of the burns were that bad. Dr Banner said that he was awake and asking for me. I was so happy I could burst. He was alive, and he would get better. Dr. Banner explained they were transferring him to the burn unit, but was still in the trauma room for the time being.

I turned and grabbed Esme's hand and we went back to the room he was in. I heard Esme gasp as we walked in the door. Edward was covered by wet, sterile gauze on his arms, chest, and face. I knew the gauze was to protect and sooth the burned skin, but it made things look worse than they were. His eyes were closed and I thought that he might be asleep. I crossed the room to the side of the gurney. As I reached for his hand, his gorgeous green eyes opened. It reminded me how much I wanted our child to have his green eyes. He smiled when he saw me and I couldn't help but start crying, he really was ok.

"Hi, Beautiful," he said in a voice raspy from the smoke he had inhaled.

"Hi, babe. I am so glad you are ok!" I exclaimed, which just caused him to laugh at me.

"I'd never be able to leave you. You're my life, Bella," he managed to get out before he started coughing. I placed an oxygen mask that was laying near his head over his nose and mouth.

"Why didn't you tell me, Edward?" I asked. When he looked at me confused I continued. "Why didn't you tell me you were leaving the station for Medic One?"

"It was a surprise. I was going to tell you tonight," he said, taking the mask off his mouth.

"Thank you," I whispered, kissing the one cheek not covered by gauze.

I stepped back and allowed Esme over to talk to Edward. She was an emotional wreck, worse than me. If I had had any doubts on whether or not she loved Edward like a son, her reaction over the last few hours pushed all doubt from my mind. Her world would have ended, much like my own if Edward hadn't made it. Even though she had not given birth to him, she was his mother in every sense of the word.

An orderly came in then to transfer Edward to the burn unit. I kissed him on the cheek again, as did Esme. I told him the whole gang would be up later to see him. He smiled again as he was wheeled away. The smile on my face could not be wiped away as I rejoined our friends and family in the waiting room. I still had my own surprise to tell Edward and I couldn't wait.

EPOV

It had been a week since my last run as a firefighter. The run that had put me in the hospital. I should have listened to the chief but I couldn't stand seeing that little boy crying. When I heard the floor above us giving way I knew that no matter what I had to get Em out. I wouldn't have been able to face Rose and Ethan if I had made it out and not him. So I made sure he was in front of me and when we were close enough to the door I gave him a shove. He tumbled outside just as the floor above collapsed on me. I didn't remember anything after that until I woke up in the ER with pretty much the entire staff working around me. I saw Angela and she smiled at me. She came next to me and whispered in my ear that I would be fine. They had me intubated so I wasn't able to speak. When I started gagging the doctor ordered the tube removed. The first thing I asked for was my love. The doctor told he was going to go give my family the good news that I was awake and then he'd allow Bella to see me before they transferred me to the burn unit.

When she had come in she asked why I hadn't told her about leaving the station. Someone spilled the beans on me, but I guess considering the circumstances I could let it slide. I later found out that it had been a combination of the chief and Em. I really didn't care because I could tell how happy she was.

Over the past week she had rarely left my bedside. The nurses had brought in a cot for her, and made sure that she ate properly. A couple of times when she thought I was asleep I saw a doctor come in that I knew was not helping me. She would ask Bella how she was feeling. At one point she convinced Bella to go with her. Bella reluctantly agreed, and it made me wonder if something was wrong with her. She came back about a half hour later with a big smile on her face, so I didn't worry too much.

During visiting hours there was a constant stream of people coming to see me. Guys from the station, other friends, and of course our family was here every chance they got. Alice would bring in clothes for Bella. Today, she thankfully convinced Bella to leave for a few hours while Esme stayed with me. My aunt knew exactly what I needed and just sat in the corner and read. She even left me alone for about an hour to go visit Carlisle. I love Bella, but she was smothering me making sure I was ok. So it was very nice to have an hour to myself. Bella still hadn't told me what that other doctor wanted, and I was driving myself crazy trying to figure out what was going on. I decided I would ask her when she got back.

Esme came back into my room, followed by Bella and Alice twenty minutes later. I had a feeling my cousin had helped make sure her mother was back by my bedside before Bella returned. Esme and Alice said their goodbyes to the both of us before quickly leaving. I saw Alice whisper in Bella's ear as they hugged. Something was definitely up and I was going to find out what was it was.

"Bella?" I said, as soon as the room door closed.

"Yeah?"

"What is going on?" I questioned. I was not going to beat around the bush. She looked at me completely confused. "You're keeping a secret from me. I know you are. You and Alice only whisper when you're keeping something from Jasper or me. And I saw that doctor come in the other day to talk to you. The voices had woke me up. I know that is not one of my doctors, because I haven't seen her since. So, I ask again, what is going on?"

My wife looked completely shell-shocked. I hadn't worried until then. She completely paled before she started stammering through a response.

"You, you weren't supposed to have seen her. Ok, um, yeah, I am keeping something from you. But it's a good thing, baby, I promise. I had planned to tell you the night you got hurt. I had a big dinner ready for you, and a present. I was going to wait until you were out of here before I told you. Alice only knows because she guessed it." She sighed, heavily. "Ok. I can do this," she said more to herself than me. She looked me right in the eye, a big smile on her face. "You have to get better, Edward. As fast as you can, because I'm going to need some help with Baby Masen."

"You're- I mean, we're going to- I'm going to be a dad?" I finally asked. She started laughing at my inability to speak before nodding, tears falling down her cheeks. "That is great news Bella. Is Alice the only other person who knows?"

"No, Carlisle and Esme know as well. You know how I wasn't feeling well. I went over to see Carlisle one day to find out what was wrong; he actually had Esme diagnose me. Then they handed me an at home test. The morning you got hurt I went and saw my OB-GYN and she confirmed that I am indeed pregnant. That's the doctor you saw. She had heard what happened, and that I wasn't leaving the hospital. She wanted to do an ultrasound to make sure the stress hadn't gotten to me or the baby. She also reminded me that I have to really take care of myself and the baby."

"So, wait, when are you due? When will I get to hold my son?"

"April 14th, Edward. And what do you mean, you're son? This is OUR baby. Secondly, we won't know for another month or two if it's a boy or girl, so Baby Masen, for now." She looked at me sternly, her hand on hip. I couldn't help but chuckle.

"Yes I meant our baby. I'm so happy, Bella. You've made me the happiest man. I wish you wouldn't have kept this from me. I will be there for everything, as soon as I get out of this hospital bed."

I had to stay in the hospital for another month, but that was ok with me. After Bella told me about the baby, I demanded she spend more time at home. She reluctantly agreed, after I guilted her with the baby's health. I couldn't wait for this baby to be born.

* * *

Told you all the baby and Edward would be ok.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Give me a Christmas present in the form of a review !

Until next time…


	23. Chapter 23

Ok, Folks. I know it has been a long time, yet again. I won't bore you with my excuses of RL and writer's block.

What I am going to tell you is, this is it! That's all she wrote. I was originally going to go a bit longer, but this just feels like the right place to end it. I can tell you there will be no sequel, and at this point I don't even know if there will be an epilogue.

This is a rather short chapter, but again, it was the right place to end it.

I'm not SM, and I'm most definitely not the Fab Four!

More notes/Thanks after the chapter!

Without further ado...THE END!

* * *

BU 23- The End

_And in the end,  
The love you take,  
Is equal to the love you make._

_The End by The Beatles_

EPOV

"Babe, wake up," I heard Bella whisper. I was hoping if I pretended that I was asleep she would let me actually sleep. I was wrong.

"Edward," she said a bit louder. When I still didn't respond she yelled, "Edward Masen, wake up right now!"

"I'm up, I'm up," I said quickly.

"Babe, can you go get me a burger from Red Mill. The Verde Burger and onion rings with extra Mill Sauce. That sounds so good right now. Oh, and a peanut butter shake. Yeah, a Verde Burger, onion rings, an extra side of Mill Sauce, and a peanut butter shake." I didn't argue with her, just dressed and left to go get her craving.

It was the end of March, about two weeks from Bella's due date. Everything was going great in regards to the baby. We had decided to be surprised when Baby Masen came into the world, so we had no idea if it was a boy or a girl. Alice, Esme, and Renee had not been thrilled that we weren't finding out the baby's sex, saying it was too hard to buy for the baby without knowing. Somehow they had still managed to fill two full rooms in our apartment with baby stuff.

I had completely healed from my accident and had been back to work with Medic One for more than a month now. Right after Christmas, Bella had decided she wasn't going to work the remainder of her pregnancy. We were still discussing if she would go back after the baby was born. She was considering going back to work once our baby was six months old, while I believed she would love being a mom so much that she would want to stay home. I had even started pulling out all of our bank and investment statements to prove that we didn't need her income.

In February we decided that as much as we loved the apartment in the Neptune, we wanted a home with a yard for our child. We immediately started looking for a house in either the Madison Park or Capitol Hill neighborhoods; which were my choices. They were the more prestigious areas of the city, with rather expensive homes, just what I wanted for my family. However, after 3 weeks of looking, Bella and I had seen nothing we were interested in. Most of the places the realtor was showing us were condos, which wasn't much better than what we already had. We wanted a yard that our child, and any future children, could run around in. Bella suggested we look in Queen Anne. The first house the realtor showed us we fell in love with. A brick colonial style home, built in 1918, it had the most breathtaking views of Seattle. After we had toured the twelve acre estate I looked at Bella and saw her smiling. We both turned to the realtor and told her we'd take it. I pulled her aside and made sure she understood she was to offer whatever the seller's were asking. I was not going to barter, and I would be paying cash. She looked at me astonished as she whispered that the house was priced at 1.59 million. I explained it did not matter, and that I would throw in an additional half million if we could close within the month. We were set to move in next week. Obviously I had yet to tell Bella exactly how much the house had cost. I knew she suspected it was more than she was comfortable spending, but this was barely a drop in the bucket of our savings.

Thankfully I had been smart enough to hire movers for this change of location. We might only be going a mile and a half from our current home, but there was no way I was moving everything that was here. Alice and Esme had been painting every room in the new house, and had apparently gone a bit crazy in the baby's room. Bella and I had been banned from seeing any of it. They both said that if the baby decided to come early, they would supervise the move and have everything ready for us when we came home. If not, we were still told not to peek, on penalty of death, at that one room.

My life was falling into place. Everything I had ever wanted would be mine within a few short weeks. I already had the woman of my dreams and we had just bought our dream house. The only thing missing was the children; and all we could do now was wait for that part.

I walked into Red Mill and ordered the food. The guy behind the counter just smiled at me, knowing what I was there for. Bella had only had one craving during her pregnancy; every night she craved something from Red Mill. The employees knew me well. They had all requested that I bring in pictures as soon as the baby was born. I took the bag that was handed to me, and quickly made my way back to my wife.

BPOV

Edward had just left for Red Mill when it started. I felt a slight cramp in my abdomen. I thought nothing of it. I had been having Braxton Hicks contractions for over a week at this point. I figured that's what it was again. I knew that Edward would be gone an hour. It was our routine over the last few months, since my cravings for Red Mill had started. I calculated that it should have only taken about thirty minutes; fifteen minutes of drive time, fifteen minutes in the restaurant. After the third time it took him an hour I called and asked. The employee I spoke to said he would sit and chat with them for awhile while he ate something for himself. Then he would order for me before leaving. I knew he needed some time on his own, which is why I didn't complain about it taking so long.

I was feeling very uncomfortable lying down. So I decided to try walking around the apartment. I had been standing for about 20 minutes when I noticed my panties were wet and liquid was beginning to trickle down my leg.

"Oh, Shit! Definitely not Braxton Hicks contractions anymore," I screamed into the empty apartment. I went to the table that held my cell phone and picked it up. I hit the number 1 speed dial, and waited for the other end to pick up.

"I'm on my way back now, babe. I should be there in five minutes with your burger," his velvet voice said.

"Um, Edward, I don't care about the food. My water just broke." I didn't hear any response. "Edward?"

"Are you sure, Bella?"

"I'm standing in the middle of our living room in a puddle of amniotic fluid Edward Masen! Yes, I am positive!" I screamed into the phone.

"I'll be there in two minutes," he said way too calmly. Great, now I was going to have a husband that was in shock. I just hope he makes it through the delivery without passing out.

"Ok, Bella, one more push and your baby will be here, screaming its little lungs out. Now, Push!" Maggie yelled at me.

"Mags, if you don't shut up, I'm going to rip out your vocal cords as soon as we're done here," I gritted out between clenched teeth. That was when I noticed Edward's hand rubbing circles on my back. "And if you," I said poking him in the chest, "don't stop rubbing my back I'm going to break off that hand. It is completely your fault I feel like this. Never again, Edward! We are not having another baby until you can carry it and push it out your- AHHHHH!" I was cut off by another contraction.

"Whatever you say, Love." I looked at him with as much venom as I could muster through the pain. Apparently, Edward's child was so anxious to join this world that my labor had progressed too quickly for me to receive an epidural.

As the pain intensified again with yet another contraction, I bore down and pushed. Suddenly the pressure I'd been feeling was gone and the most beautiful sound in the world filled the room, the cry of my baby.

"Bella, Edward, Congratulations. You have a beautiful baby girl. Want to cut the cord, Daddy?"

"A girl?" I asked. Maggie just looked at me and nodded. They checked her for her APGAR score, which Maggie told me was an 8. They wrapped her in a blanket and laid her on my chest. Edward was standing right next to me staring down at our daughter.

"She has your hair, Love. I'm so glad she has your hair," Edward whispered, stroking her head, which was covered completely in dark brown hair.

"So, Mom and Dad, what's her name?" Maggie asked. She had volunteered to go tell all our family so Edward wouldn't have to leave our sides. "Your family scares the crap out of me, and I want to go out there fully prepared. I think Alice and Esme would literally kill me if I walked out there without a name." We all started laughing, but knew Maggie was completely right. I looked at Edward before speaking. We had decided on a few names, wanting to meet our baby before settling on a name.

"Charlotte Elizabeth, Charlie for short." Edward smiled at me, nodding his head, tears in his eyes. I knew our family would love it.

As they took Charlie back for her five minute APGAR score, I looked up into the green eyes of my husband; eyes that were burning with love for me.

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B&E House-

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View-

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Thank You to all of you, My WONDERFUL READERS! I appreciate every single one of you that has taken the time to read this!

At this time, I am done writing for now. I've not been in the best mind set recently, and writing has been extremely difficult. I've been writing none stop for more than 2 years and need a break. Hopefully I'll be back some day!

So, for the last time...what did you all think?


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